(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ is a large area of land that is different from other areas of land, for example because it is one of the different parts of a country with its own customs and characteristics, or because it has a particular geographical feature.
...Barcelona, capital of the autonomous ~ of Catalonia.
N-COUNT
2.
The ~s are the parts of a country that are not the capital city and its surrounding area. (BRIT)
...London and the ~s...
N-PLURAL: the N
3.
You can refer to a part of your body as a ~.
...the pelvic ~.
= area
N-COUNT: with supp
4.
You say in the ~ of to indicate that an amount that you are stating is approximate.
The scheme will cost in the ~ of six million pounds.
= around
PHRASE vagueness