province

A province is a region within a country. If you travel to Canada, you'll have to decide whether you want to go to the province of Quebec, or Saskatchewan, or one of the other 8 provinces in that enormous country.

Many countries are divided into provinces. In the U.S. we don't have official provinces; we have states and counties. But we can use province in its other meaning, which is "the sphere of one's activities." If you manage a coffee shop and sit there reading and drinking coffee even when you're not working, then that shop is your province.

Definitions of province
  1. noun
    the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
    synonyms: state
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    examples:
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    Guangdong province
    a province in southern China
    Gansu province
    a province in north-central China; formerly part of the Silk Road to Turkistan and India and Persia
    Hebei province
    a populous province in northeastern China
    Hunan province
    a province in southeastern central China between the Nan Ling mountains and the Chang Jiang; noted for its timber and valuable mineral resources
    Szechwan province
    a populous province of south central China
    Yunnan province
    a province of southern China
    Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region
    an autonomous province in far northwestern China on the border with Mongolia and Kazakhstan; the largest province in the People's Republic of China and the homeland of the Uighur people
    Inner Mongolia
    an autonomous region of northeastern China that was annexed by the Manchu rulers in 1635 and became an integral part of China in 1911
    Yucatan
    a state of Mexico on the northern part of the Yucatan Peninsula
    Campeche
    a Mexican state on the eastern part of the Gulf of Campeche
    Chihuahua
    a state in northern Mexico; mostly high plateau
    Coahuila
    a state in northern Mexico; mostly high plateau
    Quintana Roo
    a Mexican state on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula
    Tabasco
    a Mexican state on the Gulf of Campeche
    Lower Saxony
    a state in northwestern Germany
    Bavaria
    a state in southern Germany famous for its beer; site of an automobile factory
    Kosovo
    a Serbian province in southern Serbia and Montenegro populated predominantly by Albanians
    Bosnia
    the northern part of Bosnia-Herzegovina
    Tirol
    a picturesque mountainous province of western Austria and northern Italy
    Assam
    state in northeastern India
    Karnataka
    state in southern India; formerly Mysore
    Manipur
    state in northeastern India
    Andhra Pradesh
    a state of southeastern India on the Bay of Bengal
    Bihar
    a state of northeastern India
    Goa
    a state of southwestern India; a former Portuguese colony
    Gujarat
    an industrialized state in western India that includes parts of Bombay
    Tamil Nadu
    a state in southeastern India on the Bay of Bengal (south of Andhra Pradesh); formerly Madras
    Uttar Pradesh
    a state in northern India
    Orissa
    state in eastern India on the Bay of Bengal
    West Bengal
    a state in eastern India
    Indonesian Borneo
    the part of Indonesia on the southern side of the island of Borneo
    Friesland
    one of the northernmost provinces of the Netherlands
    Orange Free State
    a province in central South Africa that was colonized by the Boers; named Free State in 1997
    Transvaal
    a province of northeastern South Africa originally inhabited by Africans who spoke Bantu; colonized by the Boers
    Cape of Good Hope Province
    a former province of southern South Africa that was settled by the Dutch in 1652 and ceded to Great Britain in 1814; in 1994 it was split into three new provinces of South Africa
    Cape of Good Hope
    a province of western South Africa
    Abkhazia
    an autonomous province of Georgia on the Black Sea; a strong independence movement has resulted in much instability
    Adzharia
    an autonomous province of Georgia on the Black Sea
    Buganda
    a state of Uganda and site of a former Bantu kingdom
    Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
    a self-governing commonwealth associated with the United States occupying the island of Puerto Rico
    Abruzzi e Molise
    a mountainous region of central Italy on the Adriatic
    Basilicata
    a region of southern Italy (forming the instep of the Italian `boot')
    Calabria
    a region of southern Italy (forming the toe of the Italian `boot')
    Campania
    a region of southwestern Italy on the Tyrrhenian Sea including the islands of Capri and Ischia
    Emilia-Romagna
    a region of north central Italy on the Adriatic
    Friuli-Venezia Giulia
    a region in northeastern Italy
    Latium
    an ancient region of west central Italy (southeast of Rome) on the Tyrrhenian Sea
    Liguria
    region of northwestern Italy on the Ligurian Sea
    Lombardia
    a region of north central Italy bordering Switzerland
    Marches
    a region in central Italy
    Molise
    a region of south central Italy
    Piedmont
    the region of northwestern Italy; includes the Po valley
    Apulia
    a region in southeastern Italy on the Adriatic
    Sardegna
    the Italian region on the island of Sardinia; the kingdom of Sardinia was the nucleus for uniting Italy during the 19th century
    Sicilia
    the Italian region on the island of Sicily
    Toscana
    a region in central Italy
    Trentino-Alto Adige
    a region of northeastern Italy bordering Austria
    Umbria
    a mountainous region in central Italy
    Valle D'Aosta
    a region in northwestern Italy
    Venezia-Euganea
    a region of northeastern Italy on the Adriatic
    Alberta
    one of the three prairie provinces in western Canada; rich in oil and natural gas and minerals
    British Columbia
    a province in western Canada
    Manitoba
    one of the three prairie provinces in central Canada
    New Brunswick
    a province in southeastern Canada
    Newfoundland and Labrador
    a Canadian province on the island of Newfoundland and on the mainland along the coast of the Labrador Sea; became Canada's 10th province in 1949
    Nova Scotia
    the Canadian province in the Maritimes consisting of the Nova Scotia peninsula and Cape Breton Island; French settlers who called the area Acadia were exiled to Louisiana by the British in the 1750s and their descendants are know as Cajuns
    Ontario
    a prosperous and industrialized province in central Canada
    Prince Edward Island
    an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence; the smallest province of Canada
    Quebec
    the largest province of Canada; a French colony from 1663 to 1759 when it was lost to the British
    Saskatchewan
    one of the three prairie provinces in west central Canada
    Queensland
    a state in northeastern Australia
    New South Wales
    an Australian state in southeastern Australia
    Victoria
    a state in southeastern Australia
    Tasmania
    an Australian state on the island of Tasmania
    South Australia
    a state in south central Australia
    Western Australia
    a state containing the western third of Australia
    Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic
    formerly the largest Soviet Socialist Republic in the USSR occupying eastern Europe and northern Asia
    Camellia State
    a state in the southeastern United States on the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
    Last Frontier
    a state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union
    Grand Canyon State
    a state in southwestern United States; site of the Grand Canyon
    Land of Opportunity
    a state in south central United States; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
    Golden State
    a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
    Centennial State
    a state in west central United States in the Rocky Mountains
    Constitution State
    a New England state; one of the original 13 colonies
    Diamond State
    a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
    Everglade State
    a state in southeastern United States between the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
    Empire State of the South
    a state in southeastern United States; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
    Aloha State
    a state in the United States in the central Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands
    Gem State
    a state in the Rocky Mountains
    Land of Lincoln
    a midwestern state in north-central United States
    Hoosier State
    a state in midwestern United States
    Hawkeye State
    a state in midwestern United States
    Sunflower State
    a state in midwestern United States
    Bluegrass State
    a state in east central United States; a border state during the American Civil War; famous for breeding race horses
    Pelican State
    a state in southern United States on the Gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War
    Pine Tree State
    a state in New England
    Old Line State
    a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
    Massachusetts
    a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
    Great Lakes State
    a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
    North Star State
    a midwestern state
    Magnolia State
    a state in the Deep South on the gulf of Mexico; one of the Confederate States during the American Civil War
    Show Me State
    a midwestern state in central United States; a border state during the American Civil War, Missouri was admitted to the Confederacy without actually seceding from the Union
    Treasure State
    a state in northwestern United States on the Canadian border
    Cornhusker State
    a midwestern state on the Great Plains
    Battle Born State
    a state in the southwestern United States
    Granite State
    a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies
    Garden State
    a Mid-Atlantic state on the Atlantic; one of the original 13 colonies
    Land of Enchantment
    a state in southwestern United States on the Mexican border
    New York State
    a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
    Old North State
    a state in southeastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies
    Peace Garden State
    a state of north central United States bordering on Canada
    Buckeye State
    a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
    Sooner State
    a state in south central United States
    Beaver State
    a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific
    Keystone State
    a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
    Little Rhody
    a state in New England; one of the original 13 colonies; the smallest state
    Palmetto State
    a state in the Deep South; one of the original 13 colonies
    Mount Rushmore State
    a state in north central United States
    Volunteer State
    a state in east central United States
    Lone-Star State
    the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
    Beehive State
    a state in the western United States; settled in 1847 by Mormons led by Brigham Young
    Green Mountain State
    a state in New England
    Old Dominion State
    a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
    Evergreen State
    a state in northwestern United States on the Pacific
    Mountain State
    a state in east central United States
    Badger State
    a midwestern state in north central United States
    Equality State
    a state in the western United States; mountainous in the west and north with the Great Plains in the east
    types:
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    commonwealth
    the official name of some states in the United States (Massachusetts and Pennsylvania and Virginia and Kentucky) and associated territories (Puerto Rico)
    eparchy
    a province in ancient Greece
    American state
    one of the 50 states of the United States
    Italian region
    Italy is divided into 20 regions for administrative purposes
    Canadian province
    Canada is divided into 12 provinces for administrative purposes
    Australian state
    one of the several states constituting Australia
    Soviet Socialist Republic
    one of the states that formerly made up the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (1922-1991)
    slave state
    any of the southern states in which slavery was legal prior to the American Civil War
    free state
    any state prohibiting slavery prior to the American Civil War
    type of:
    administrative district, administrative division, territorial division
    a district defined for administrative purposes
  2. noun
    the proper sphere or extent of your activities
    “it was his province to take care of himself”
    synonyms: responsibility
    see moresee less
    types:
    ecclesiastical province
    the district within the jurisdiction of an archbishop or a metropolitan or one of the territorial divisions of an ecclesiastical order
    type of:
    area, arena, domain, field, orbit, sphere
    a particular environment or walk of life
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