What does office mean?
An office is a place where administrative, professional, or governmental work is carried out, and it can also refer to the organization or formal position associated with that work. In everyday use, the word often means a room, suite, or building in which people conduct their jobs. Expressions such as “take office” and “hold office” extend the meaning to authority or appointment. The word can carry a professional, administrative, or institutional tone, especially when describing government or business affairs. Historically, it developed from the Latin officium, meaning duty, work, or responsibility, so the modern workplace sense is a later extension of the idea of official responsibility.
A room, building, or part of a building used for administrative or professional work; an organization or its official position; a formal post in government or another institution.
"The company has offices in London and Dublin."
The sense “a formal position of authority” is especially common in governmental and institutional contexts.
To provide someone with an office or place of work, or to assign someone to an official position.
"The new branch will office more than fifty employees."
This verb is formal and relatively uncommon compared with the noun.
The plural offices is used for multiple workplaces, organizations, or positions.
"The company opened new offices in several cities."
The word office originally meant duty or responsibility, not a room: it comes from the Latin officium, “work, duty, or office.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of office
The English word office comes through Old French from the Latin officium, meaning duty, work, or service, especially an official duty. Its original sense referred to a responsibility or position rather than a physical room. By the later Middle English period, the word had developed the sense of an official position and then of a place where official business was conducted. Related words include official, officer, officious, and officiate.
Related word forms
How office is actually used
In its most common sense, office refers to a workplace or room. In political and institutional contexts, it can mean a formal position or the organization itself. The verb is relatively uncommon in modern English and is formal.
Easily confused with office
An office is a place of work, organization, or position, whereas an official is a person who holds authority or acts on behalf of a government or organization.