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office

   Also found in: Medical, Legal, Acronyms, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.01 sec.
of·fice  fs, fs)
n.
1.
a. A place in which business, clerical, or professional activities are conducted.
b. The administrative personnel, executives, or staff working in such a place.
2. A duty or function assigned to or assumed by someone. See Synonyms at function.
3. A position of authority, duty, or trust given to a person, as in a government or corporation: the office of vice president.
4.
a. A subdivision of a governmental department: the U.S. Patent Office.
b. A major executive division of a government: the British Home Office.
5. A public position: seek office.
6. offices Chiefly British The parts of a house, such as the laundry and kitchen, in which servants carry out household work.
7. A usually beneficial act performed for another. Often used in the plural.
8. Ecclesiastical A ceremony, rite, or service, usually prescribed by liturgy, especially:
a. The canonical hours.
b. A prayer service in the Anglican Church, such as Morning or Evening Prayer.
c. A ceremony, rite, or service for a special purpose, especially the Office of the Dead.

[Middle English, from Old French, duty, from Latin officium; see dh- in Indo-European roots.]

office [ˈɒfɪs]
n
1.
a.  a room or set of rooms in which business, professional duties, clerical work, etc., are carried out
b.  (as modifier) office furniture an office boy
2. (often plural) the building or buildings in which the work of an organization, such as a business or government department, is carried out
3. a commercial or professional business the architect's office approved the plans
4. the group of persons working in an office it was a happy office until she came
5. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (capital when part of a name) (in Britain) a department of the national government the Home Office
6. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (capital when part of a name) (in the US)
a.  a governmental agency, esp of the Federal government
b.  a subdivision of such an agency or of a department Office of Science and Technology
7.
a.  a position of trust, responsibility, or duty, esp in a government or organization the office of president to seek office
b.  (in combination) an office-holder
8. duty or function the office of an administrator
9. (often plural) a minor task or service domestic offices
10. (often plural) an action performed for another, usually a beneficial action through his good offices
11. (Performing Arts / Theatre) a place where tickets, information, etc., can be obtained a ticket office
12. (Christianity / Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity
a.  (often plural) a ceremony or service, prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities, esp one for the dead
b.  the order or form of these
c.  RC Church the official daily service
d.  short for divine office
13. (plural) the parts of a house or estate where work is done, goods are stored, etc.
14. (usually plural) Brit euphemistic a lavatory (esp in the phrase usual offices)
(Government, Politics & Diplomacy)
in (or out of) office (of a government) in (or out of) power
the office Slang a hint or signal
[via Old French from Latin officium service, duty, from opus work, service + facere to do]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.officeoffice - place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed; "he rented an office in the new building"
ticket booth, ticket office, box office - the office where tickets of admission are sold
countinghouse - office used by the accountants of a business
government office - an office where government employees work
central office, headquarters, main office, home base, home office - (usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise; "many companies have their headquarters in New York"
life office - life assurance office
loan office - an office where loans are negotiated and repaid
newsroom - an office in which news is processed by a newspaper or news agency or television or radio station
office block, office building - a building containing offices where work is done
business establishment, place of business - an establishment (a factory or an assembly plant or retail store or warehouse etc.) where business is conducted, goods are made or stored or processed or where services are rendered
shipping office - the office of a shipping agent; an office where seamen are hired
2.officeoffice - an administrative unit of government; "the Central Intelligence Agency"; "the Census Bureau"; "Office of Management and Budget"; "Tennessee Valley Authority"
administrative body, administrative unit - a unit with administrative responsibilities
executive agency - an agency of the executive branch of government
FDA, Food and Drug Administration - a federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products
CDC, Center for Disease Control and Prevention - a federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services; located in Atlanta; investigates and diagnoses and tries to control or prevent diseases (especially new and unusual diseases)
Counterterrorist Center, CTC - an agency that helps the Director of Central Intelligence coordinate counterterrorist efforts in order to preempt and disrupt and defeat terrorist activities at the earliest possible stage
Nonproliferation Center, NPC - an agency that serves as the focal point for all Intelligence Community activities related to nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their missile delivery systems
Bureau of the Census, Census Bureau - the bureau of the Commerce Department responsible for taking the census; provides demographic information and analyses about the population of the United States
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA - an agency in the Department of Commerce that maps the oceans and conserves their living resources; predicts changes to the earth's environment; provides weather reports and forecasts floods and hurricanes and other natural disasters related to weather
National Climatic Data Center, NCDC - the part of NOAA that maintains the world's largest active archive of weather data
National Weather Service - the federal agency in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that is responsible for weather forecast and preparation of weather maps
Technology Administration - an agency in the Department of Commerce that works with United States industries to promote competitiveness and maximize the impact of technology on economic growth
National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST - an agency in the Technology Administration that makes measurements and sets standards as needed by industry or government programs
National Technical Information Service, NTIS - an agency in the Technology Administration that is a primary resource for government-funded scientific and technical and engineering and business related information
DARPA, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency - the central research and development organization for the United States Department of Defense; responsible for developing new surveillance technologies since 9/11
Department of Defense Laboratory System, LABLINK - a defense laboratory that provides essential services in fundamental science for national security and environmental protection and provides technologies that contribute to industrial competitiveness
Department of Energy Intelligence, DOEI - an agency that collects political and economic and technical information about energy matters and makes the Department of Energy's technical and analytical expertise available to other members of the Intelligence Community
PHS, United States Public Health Service - an agency that serves as the office of Surgeon General; includes agencies whose mission is to improve the public health
National Institutes of Health, NIH - an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services whose mission is to employ science in the pursuit of knowledge to improve human health; is the principal biomedical research agency of the federal government
BJA, Bureau of Justice Assistance - the bureau in the Department of Justice that assists local criminal justice systems to reduce or prevent crime and violence and drug abuse
BJS, Bureau of Justice Statistics - the agency in the Department of Justice that is the primary source of criminal justice statistics for federal and local policy makers
Immigration and Naturalization Service, INS - an agency in the Department of Justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the United States
United States Border Patrol, US Border Patrol - the mobile law enforcement arm of the Immigration and Naturalization Service that detects and prevents illegal entry of aliens into the United States
Bureau of Diplomatic Security, DS - the bureau in the State Department that is responsible for the security of diplomats and embassies overseas
Foreign Service - the part of the State Department that supplies diplomats for the United States embassies and consulates around the world
Bureau of Intelligence and Research, INR - an agency that is the primary source in the State Department for interpretive analyses of global developments and focal point for policy issues and activities of the Intelligence Community
3.officeoffice - the actions and activities assigned to or required or expected of a person or group; "the function of a teacher"; "the government must do its part"; "play its role"
duty - work that you are obliged to perform for moral or legal reasons; "the duties of the job"
capacity - a specified function; "he was employed in the capacity of director"; "he should be retained in his present capacity at a higher salary"
hat - an informal term for a person's role; "he took off his politician's hat and talked frankly"
portfolio - the role of the head of a government department; "he holds the portfolio for foreign affairs"
lieu, stead, place, position - the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another; "can you go in my stead?"; "took his place"; "in lieu of"
second fiddle - a secondary role or function; "he hated to play second fiddle to anyone"
4.office - (of a government or government official) holding an office means being in power; "being in office already gives a candidate a great advantage"; "during his first year in office"; "during his first year in power"; "the power of the president"
state - the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state"
governing, government activity, government, governance, administration - the act of governing; exercising authority; "regulations for the governing of state prisons"; "he had considerable experience of government"
executive clemency - the power (usually of a president or governor) to pardon or commute the sentence of someone convicted in that jurisdiction
war power - an extraordinary power exercised (usually by the executive branch) in the prosecution of a war and involving an extension of the powers that the government normally has in peacetime
5.officeoffice - professional or clerical workers in an office; "the whole office was late the morning of the blizzard"
staff - personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task; "the hospital has an excellent nursing staff"; "the general relied on his staff to make routine decisions"
6.office - a religious rite or service prescribed by ecclesiastical authorities; "the offices of the mass"
religious rite, rite - an established ceremony prescribed by a religion; "the rite of baptism"
Divine Office - canonical prayers recited daily by priests (e.g. the breviary of the Roman Catholic Church)
Little Office - a Roman Catholic office honoring the Virgin Mary; similar to but shorter than the Divine Office
Office of the Dead - an office read or sung before a burial mass in the Roman Catholic Church
7.office - a job in an organization; "he occupied a post in the treasury"
job, line of work, occupation, business, line - the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money; "he's not in my line of business"
academicianship - the position of member of an honorary academy
accountantship - the position of accountant
admiralty - the office of admiral
ambassadorship - the post of ambassador
apostleship - the position of apostle
apprenticeship - the position of apprentice
associateship - the position of associate (as in an office or academy)
attorneyship - the position of attorney
bailiffship - the office of bailiff
baronetage - the state of a baronet
bishopry, episcopate - the office and dignity of a bishop
cadetship - the position of cadet
caliphate - the office of a caliph
captaincy, captainship - the post of captain
cardinalship - the office of cardinal
chairmanship - the position of chairman
chancellorship - the office of chancellor
chaplaincy, chaplainship - the position of chaplain
chieftaincy, chieftainship - the position of chieftain
clerkship - the job of clerk
commandership, commandery - the position or office of commander
comptrollership - the position of comptroller
consulship - the post of consul
controllership - the position of controller
councillorship, councilorship - the position of council member
counsellorship, counselorship - the position of counselor
curacy - the position of a curate
curatorship - the position of curator
custodianship - the position of custodian
deanship, deanery - the position or office of a dean
directorship - the position of a director of a business concern
discipleship - the position of disciple
editorship - the position of editor
eldership - the office of elder
emirate - the office of an emir
fatherhood - the status of a father
fatherhood - the status of a religious leader
foremanship - the position of foreman
generalcy, generalship - the office and authority of a general
governorship - the office of governor
headship - the position of head
headship - the position of headmaster or headmistress
hot seat - a difficult position where you are subjected to stress and criticism
incumbency - the office of an incumbent
inspectorship - the office of inspector
instructorship - the position of instructor
internship - the position of a medical intern
judgeship, judicature - the position of judge
khanate - the position of a khan
lectureship - the post of lecturer
legateship, legation - the post or office of legate
legislatorship - the office of legislator
librarianship - the position of librarian
lieutenancy - the position of a lieutenant
magistracy, magistrature - the position of magistrate
managership - the position of manager
manhood - the status of being a man
marshalship - the post of marshall

office
noun
1. place of work, workplace, base, workroom, place of business He had an office just big enough for a desk and chair.
2. branch, department, division, section, wing, subdivision, subsection Downing Street's press office
plural noun
support, help, backing, aid, favour, assistance, intervention, recommendation, patronage, mediation, advocacy, auspices, aegis, moral support, intercession, espousal Thanks to his good offices, a home has been found for the birds.
Translations
office [ˈɒfɪs]
A. N
1. (= place) → oficina f; (= room) → despacho m; [of lawyer] → bufete m (US) [of doctor] → consultorio m
2. (= part of organization) → sección f, departamento m; (= ministry) → ministerio m; (= branch) → sucursal f
see also foreign B
see also head D
3. (= public position) → cargo m; (= duty, function) → función f
it is my office to + INFINtengo el deber de + infin, me incumbe + infin
to perform the office of sbhacer las veces de algn
to be in/hold office [person] → desempeñar or ocupar un cargo; [political party] → ocupar el poder
to be out of officeno estar en el poder
to come into or take office [person] → tomar posesión del cargo (as de) [political party] → acceder al poder
to leave office [person] → dejar el cargo; [government] → salir del poder
see also remove A6
4. offices (frm) through his good officesmediante sus buenos oficios
through the offices ofpor mediación or medio de
5. (Rel) → oficio m
Office for the Deadoficio de difuntos
B. CPDde oficina
office automation Nofimática f, buromática f
office bearer Ntitular mf (de una cartera)
office block N (Brit) → bloque m de oficinas
office boy Nrecadero m, mandadero m (LAm)
office building N = office block office equipment Nmobiliario m de oficina
office furniture Nmobiliario m de oficina
office holder Nfuncionario/a m/f
office hours NPL (Brit) → horas fpl de oficina (US) → horas fpl de consulta
office job Ntrabajo m de oficina
office manager Ngerente mf
Office of Fair Trading N (Brit) departamento encargado de mantener las normas comerciales establecidos
office party Nfiesta f de la oficina
office staff Npersonal m de oficina
office supplies NPLmaterial m de oficina
office worker N (gen) → oficinista mf; (= civil servant etc) → funcionario/a m/f

office [ˈɒfɪs] n
(= place) → bureau m
She works in an office → Elle travaille dans un bureau. press office
(= position) → charge f, fonction f
term of office → mandat
a second term of office → un deuxième mandat
to run for office → se présenter aux élections
to take office → entrer en fonctions
to hold office → exercer ses fonctions
The president shall hold office for five years → Le président exercera ses fonctions pendant cinq ans.
in office
the President's ten years in office → les dix ans du président à la tête de l'État
to be in office → être en poste
to vote sb out of office → écarter qn du pouvoir à la faveur des élections
(US) [doctor] (= surgery) → cabinet m good offices
office automation nbureautique f
office bearer n [organization] → permanent(e) m/f
office block office building (US) nimmeuble m de bureaux
office boy ngarçon m de bureau
office-holder office holder [ˈɒfɪshəʊldər] n
(in organization)permanent(e) m/f
(in government)membre mf du gouvernement
office hours npl
(gen)heures fpl de bureau
during office hours → pendant les heures de bureau
(US) [doctor] → heures fpl de consultation
office job ntravail m de bureau
He's got an office job → Il travaille dans un bureau., Il a un travail de bureau.
office junior nemployé(e) m/f de bureau débutant(e)
office manager nresponsable mf administratif/ive
Office of Fair Trading nDirection f générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes
Office of Management and Budget n (US) organisme chargé de gérer les ministères et de préparer le budget
office party npot m, arrosage m
office politics npolitique f interne

office
n
Büro nt; (of lawyer)Kanzlei f; (= part of organization)Abteilung f; (= branch)Geschäftsstelle f; at the officeim Büro; local government officesGemeindeverwaltung f
(= public position)Amt nt; to take officesein or das Amt antreten; (political party) → die Regierung übernehmen, an die Regierung kommen; to be in or hold officeim Amt sein; (party) → an der Regierung sein; to be out of officenicht mehr an der Regierung sein; (person) → nicht im Amt sein; to be barred or disqualified from (holding) public officevon allen öffentlichen Ämtern ausgeschlossen sein
(= duty)Aufgabe f, → Pflicht f
usu pl (= attention, help) through his good officesdurch seine guten Dienste; through the offices of …durch Vermittlung von …
(Eccl) → Gottesdienst m; office for the deadTotenamt nt; (RC) → Totenmesse f
(Brit) “usual offices”übliche Nebenräume

office:
office automation
nBüroautomation f
office bearer
nAmtsträger(in) m(f), → Amtsinhaber(in) m(f)
office block
nBürohaus or -gebäude nt
office boy
nLaufjunge m
office clerk
nBüroangestellte(r) mf
office furniture
nBüromöbel pl
office holder
nAmtsinhaber(in) m(f)
office hours
plArbeitsstunden pl, → Dienstzeit f; (on sign) → Geschäfts- or Öffnungszeiten pl; to work officenormale Arbeitszeiten haben
office hunter
nPostenjäger(in) m(f)
office job
nStelle fim Büro
office junior
nBürogehilfe m/-gehilfin f
office manager(ess)
nBüroleiter(in) m(f)
Office of Fair Trading
n (Brit) → Behörde fgegen unlauteren Wettbewerb
Office of Management and Budget
n (US) US-Behörde für die Verwaltung der Ministerien und der Vorbereitung des Haushalts
office party
nBüroparty f

office:
office seeker
n (esp US)
(= job seeker)Stellensuchende(r) mf
(= office hunter)Postenjäger(in) m(f)
office supplies
plBüroartikel pl, → Bürobedarf m
office worker
nBüroangestellte(r) mf

office [ˈɒfɪs]
1. n
a. (place) → ufficio; (of lawyer, doctor) → studio
ticket office → biglietteria
head office → sede f centrale
b. (public position) → ufficio, carica; (duty, function) → incarico, compito
to be in or to hold office (person) → essere in carica (political party) → essere al potere
to come into office, to take office (person) → assumere la carica (political party) → salire al potere
c. through his good officescon il suo prezioso aiuto
through the offices of → grazie all'aiuto di
d. (Rel) → ufficio, funzione f
2. adj (staff) → d'ufficio; (furniture) → da ufficio; (supplies) → per ufficio

office [ˈɒfɪs]
1. n
a. (place) → ufficio; (of lawyer, doctor) → studio
ticket office → biglietteria
head office → sede f centrale
b. (public position) → ufficio, carica; (duty, function) → incarico, compito
to be in or to hold office (person) → essere in carica (political party) → essere al potere
to come into office, to take office (person) → assumere la carica (political party) → salire al potere
c. through his good officescon il suo prezioso aiuto
through the offices of → grazie all'aiuto di
d. (Rel) → ufficio, funzione f
2. adj (staff) → d'ufficio; (furniture) → da ufficio; (supplies) → per ufficio

office
n office [ˈofis]
1 the room or building in which the business of a firm is done The firm's head offices are in New York; (also adjective ) office furniture. kantoor مَكْتَب الشَّرِكَه офис kancelář(ský) kontor; kontor- das Büro, Büro-... γραφείο, έδρα despacho, oficina kontor, büroo اداره؛ دفتر toimisto (de) bureau מִשׂרָד दफ्तर ured hivatal kantor skrifstofa ufficio; da ufficio 事務所 회사 kontora, būstinė, raštinė kantoris; birojs; iestāde pejabat kantoor kontor biuro escritório (de) birou офис kancelária; kancelársky urad kancelarija kontor สำนักงาน büro, ofis, iş yeri 辦事處 офіс; контора مقام کاروبار văn phòng
2 the room in which a particular person works the bank manager's office. kantoor مَكْتَب المُوظَّف офис kancelář kontor das Büro γραφείο, χώρος εργασίας despacho, oficina kabinet اتاق کار toimisto bureau מִשׂרָד कार्यालय ured, kancelarija iroda kantor (einka)skrifstofa ufficio 事務室 사무소 kabinetas kabinets pejabat kantoor kontor biuro, pokój gabinete birou кабинет kancelária pisarna kancelarija kontor สำนักงาน büro, ofis, yazıhane 辦公室 кабінет دفتر phòng làm việc
3 a room or building used for a particular purpose Train tickets are bought at the ticket-office. kantoor مَكْتَب التَّذاكِر бюро pokladna -kontor das Amt, der Schalter γραφείο, τμήμα oficina kontor, kassa دفتر؛ باجه toimisto bureau מִשׂרָד कार्यालय, दफ्तर ured iroda tempat penjualan skrifstofa; miðasala biglietteria 事業所 (특수한 목적의) 장소 įstaiga, skyrius, ministerija, kasa, punktas ministrija; kase; redakcija pejabat kantoor kontor, luke biuro, kasa bilheteira ghişeu контора; касса pokladňa poslovalnica biletarnica kontor, expedition สำนักงาน ofis, bölüm 售票處 бюро خاص مقصد کا کمرہ phòng chuyên dụng
4 a position of authority, especially in or as a government Our party has not been in office for years; the office of mayor. amp مَنْصِب، سُلْطَه на власт vládní moc, úřad, funkce embede das Amt εξουσία, αξίωμα cargo amet وزارت؛ اداره virka charge, fonction תַפקִיד पद ured hivatal jabatan embætti, staða, stjórn carica, incarico 役職 관직, 공직 valdžia, postas, pareigos amats; postenis; vara kuasa; jawatan ambt embete; (i makt)posisjon urząd cargo poziţie de auto­ritate должность; нахождение у власти vládna moc, úrad, funkcia na oblasti položaj inneha sitt ämbete, vara vid makten ตำแหน่ง görev, iktidar 職務 служба, посада منصب cơ quan
n officer
1 a person holding a commission in the army, navy or air force a naval officer. offisier ضابِط офицер důstojník officer; -officer der Offizier αξιωματικός oficial ohvitser افسر upseeri officier קָצִין अधिकारी časnik (katona)tiszt perwira liðsforingi, offisér ufficiale 将校 장교 karininkas virsnieks pegawai officier offiser oficer oficial ofiţer офицер dôstojník častnik oficir officer นายทหาร subay 軍官,警官,船長 офіцер افسر، عہدے دار sĩ quan
2 a person who carries out a public duty a police-officer. amptenaar, beampte, konstabel ضابِط شُرْطَه чиновник policista -embedsmand der Beamte/die Beamtin υπάλληλος, αξιωματούχος funcionario ametnik مامور viranomainen fonctionnaire מְמוּנֶה अफ़सर, पदाधिकारी javni službenik köztisztviselő; rendőr petugas embættismaður; lögreglumaður funzionario 役人 공무원 pareigūnas, tarnautojas amatpersona; darbinieks; policists pegawai ambtenaar embetsmann, tjenestemann, –mann funkcjonariusz oficial ofiţer de poliţie должностное лицо policajt uradnik zvaničnik tjänsteman, konstapel นายตำรวจ memur 公務員,警官 полісмен, констебль اہل کار، عوامي خدمت گزار viên chức

office مكتب kancelář kontor Büro γραφείο oficina toimisto bureau ured ufficio オフィス 사무실 kantoor kontor biuro escritório офис kontor สำนักงาน büro văn phòng 办公室


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The Circumlocution Office was (as everybody knows without being told) the most important Department under Government.
The Senate shall choose their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice-President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
He put on his tail-coat and the tall hat which he had worn at school; but it was very shabby, and he made up his mind to stop at the Stores on his way to the office and buy a new one.
 
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