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office

n. · v.
US //ˈɔfɪs// UK //ˈɒfɪs// of·fice
  1. 1 a place of work (n.)
    A1 Beginner

    a room or building where people work at desks or computers.

    a physical location, such as a room or suite, dedicated to administrative, professional, or clerical work.

    Example

    I have to go to the office early tomorrow to finish the report.

    Example

    The company moved its main office to a modern glass building in the city centre to accommodate the growing marketing team.
  2. 2 a position of authority (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Formal Law

    an important job or position of power, especially in the government.

    a position of duty, trust, or authority, particularly within a government or large organisation.

    Example

    The new mayor will take office in January.

    Example

    After four years in office, the minister decided not to run for re-election, citing a desire to spend more time with his family.
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  1. 3 a government department (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    a department of the government that deals with a specific area.

    a major administrative division or department of a national or local government.

    Example

    You need to visit the immigration office to renew your visa.

    Example

    The Foreign Office issued a travel warning for the region following the recent political unrest.
  2. 4 software suite (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Computing

    a group of computer programs used for work, like writing documents or making spreadsheets.

    a suite of productivity software typically comprising a word processor, spreadsheet application, and presentation tool.

    Example

    I installed a new version of office on my laptop last night.

    Example

    Proficiency in various office applications is a mandatory requirement for this administrative assistant position.
    • software suite
  3. 5 religious service (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal Religion

    a set of prayers or a religious ceremony.

    a prescribed form of Christian worship or a series of daily prayers.

    Example

    The monks gathered in the chapel for the morning office.

    Example

    The Daily Office remains a central pillar of liturgical life in many Anglican and Catholic traditions.
  4. 6 to have a workspace (v.)
    C1 Advanced Academic Formal

    to have or use a specific place as your workspace.

    to maintain or be provided with a professional workspace; often used intransitively to describe where a person is based.

    Example

    The consultants office out of the downtown branch.

    Example

    Although the CEO is frequently travelling, she officially offices in the London headquarters.
Origin

From Middle English office, from Old French office, from Latin officium (“personal, official, or moral duty; official position; function; ceremony, esp. last rites”), contracted from opificium (“construction: the act of building or the thing built”), from opifex (“doer of work, craftsman”) + -ium (“-y”, forming actions), from op- (“work”) + -i- (connective) + -fex (combining form of faciō (“to do, to make”)). The computing sense is a genericization of various proprietary program suites, such as Microsoft Office.

Idioms1 entry

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