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office

office

1.6
A job with official power in a government or organization
  • noun
  • /ˈɔfɪs/
translation icon : cargo
  • After years of campaigning, he was finally elected to office and promised to serve his community.
  • take office
  • elected to office
  • hold office

But the point of running for office is to hold office.

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Examples

  • But the point of running for office is to hold office.

  • The new president will take office at a low moment in U.S. relations with its neighbors.

    Academic text (2008)
  • When he was in office, things changed.

  • I'm running for high office, you see.

  • Indeed, there are many factors that influence whether women run for office and whether they succeed.

    Academic text (2013)
  • He's concerned about his term in office and maybe the next few years.

  • The funding declined by the time Parker took office in 2009 and continued to decline in subsequent years.

    Academic text (2017)
  • But even after the war, and after Clinton's term of office, the legacy will remain.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Christians still enjoy the constitutional rights to vote, hold office, speak, exercise their faith, and assemble.

    Academic text (2008)
  • President Barack Obama realized as much, which is why he entered office promising to be a "post-partisan" president.

    Academic text (2012)

Synonyms

role
vsoffice
1.3

The job and duties someone has in a group or situation

is concentrated on formal authority rather than expected function or duties
position
vsoffice
957 3.2

A person's job or rank in a group like a company

is focused on duties that carry authority and responsibility rather than rank alone
post
vsoffice
560 3.1

A job or position in an organization where someone works

is more about authority and responsibility in organizations than simple assignment
public office
vsoffice
  • Formal
45 3.2

A government job with power and duty to serve the people

is like that but applies to authority across companies and organizations

Idioms

7.5

A right that comes from a person's official job

Become involved in arguments and rival groups at work

To sell a lot of movie tickets

Compounds

141 1.0

A building where people send and collect mail and buy stamps

111 3.2

The president's main office in the White House where official work is done

A large place with rooms where people work for businesses

60 2.5

Money that comes from selling tickets for a film or show

public office
  • Formal
45 3.2

A government job with power and duty to serve the people

24 1.0

A public place where people send and pick up letters and parcels

22 1.8

A place at a theatre or cinema where people buy tickets

home office
  • Formal
20 3.0

A main office where a company's leaders work and make decisions

A U.S. government agency that helps the President prepare and oversee the federal budget

A place where government workers do official work for the public

12 1.5

A central building where managers run an organization

Patent Office
  • Formal
7 3.4

A government office that checks, gives, and keeps records of patents and trademarks

Main office where leaders of a company or organization work and make decisions

back office
  • Jargon
7 3.7

A part of a company that does office and support work away from customers

A numbered box at a post office where you collect your mail

6 3.6

A government department or agency that works for the national government in the United States

6 3.5

A government department that manages relations with other countries especially in the UK

5 1.1

People who work in an office doing jobs like answering phones and filing papers

4 3.7

A UK government department that handles immigration, security and police matters

Things like desks and chairs that are used in an office

A fixed time when a person holds an official job

Actions people use at work to get power or advantage

A place that helps people find jobs and employers find workers

A place where people get tickets for trains, shows and events

A place where people do paperwork and other work for a company

A part of a company that hires, trains, and manages employees

A nearby place where people send and receive letters and packages

land office
  • Formal
1 4.7

A government office that sells and records public land

office boy
  • Archaic
1 2.6

A young man who does simple office tasks like running errands and delivering messages

A former U.S. agency that printed and bound official government documents

1 2.8

A large building with many rooms used by different businesses

shipping office
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A place where agents hire sailors for work on ships

Divine Office
  • Formal
1 9.9

A set of prayers that priests and some laypeople say at set times each day

A group of government offices that help the United States President carry out duties and make policy

A work area made quickly from things you have to use for a short time

post office
  • Archaic
1 8.5

A party game where children pretend to deliver letters and give kisses

A government service that delivers letters and packages across the United States

1 8.6

A very large, quick amount of sales that makes a lot of money

1 6.7

A person who has an official position in a club or organization

An office that helps students find jobs and internships

A number used to receive mail at a post office box

staff office
  • Formal
1 3.1

A department that hires, trains, and manages employees

A government service that delivers letters and packages across the United States

A government office that deals with France's relations with other countries

A place at a station or airport where people leave bags for a short time

life office
  • Archaic
6.0

A company that sells insurance that pays money when a person dies

A shop that gives money when people leave things until they pay it back

An office that helps people apply for and pay back money they borrow

Little Office
  • Specialized
9.9

A short set of prayers to the Virgin Mary said by Catholics

A program in the Microsoft Office set used for tasks like writing, creating spreadsheets and making presentations

An independent U.S. agency that helps Congress check how the government spends public money

A United States agency that builds and operates spy satellites to collect information for the government and military

office buttlicker
  • Offensive
9.9

A person at work who praises their boss too much to get favors

A part of the U.S. Treasury that shares intelligence with officials who work on other countries' money and trade

A United States Navy agency that gathers and studies information for security and operations

9.9

A set of prayers and readings for the dead in the Catholic Church

9.9

A very unpleasant office where people dislike working

An agency of the UN that worked to reduce drug use and crime worldwide

An independent agency that checks how the U.S. government spends money and reports to Congress

A former U.S. government agency that printed and bound official documents for Congress and other federal offices

A former government office that made and put together official United States documents for Congress and federal departments

9.9

A government office that supplied food to navy ships in the past

How Senior

executive
533 4.5
director
424 3.0
office
1.6
manager
1.6
assistant
833 1.0

Surface Forms

office singular
offices plural

Etymology

The word office comes from the Latin officium, 'service' or 'duty', and it is the same root as official. That's why an office can mean a position or role with duties to do, so holding an office is having responsibility.