(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
An ~ is a room or a part of a building where people work sitting at desks.
He had an ~ big enough for his desk and chair, plus his VDU...
At about 4.30 p.m. Audrey arrived at the ~...
Telephone their head ~ for more details.
...an ~ block.
N-COUNT
2.
An ~ is a department of an organization, especially the government, where people deal with a particular kind of administrative work.
Thousands have registered with unemployment ~s.
...Downing Street’s press ~.
...the Congressional Budget Office.
N-COUNT; N-IN-NAMES
3.
An ~ is a small building or room where people can go for information, tickets, or a service of some kind.
The tourist ~ operates a useful room-finding service.
...the airline ticket ~s.
N-COUNT: usu supp N
4.
A doctor’s or dentist’s ~ is a place where a doctor or dentist sees their patients. (AM; in BRIT, use surgery )
N-COUNT
5.
If someone holds ~ in a government, they have an important job or position of authority.
The events to mark the President’s ten years in ~ went ahead as planned...
They are fed up with the politicians and want to vote them out of ~...
The president shall hold ~ for five years...
He ran for ~.
N-UNCOUNT: oft in/out of N
6.
see also booking ~ , box ~ , post ~ , register ~ , registry ~