ed ‧ i ‧ fice /ˈedəfəs, ˈedɪfəs/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin aedificium , from aedificare ; ⇨ ↑ edify ]
formal a building, especially a large one:
Their head office was an imposing edifice.
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THESAURUS
▪ building a structure such as a house, church, or factory, that has a roof and walls:
The college needs money to pay for new buildings.
▪ property formal a building or piece of land, or both together - used especially when talking about buying and selling buildings or land:
The next property they looked at was too small.
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The company received permission to build six residential properties on the land.
▪ premises formal the buildings and land that a shop, restaurant, company etc uses:
You are not allowed to drink alcohol on the premises.
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The bread is baked on the premises.
▪ complex a group of buildings, or a large building with many parts, used for a particular purpose:
The town has one of the best leisure complexes in the country.
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a luxury apartment complex
▪ development a group of new buildings that have all been planned and built together on the same piece of land:
a new housing development
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a huge industrial development
▪ block especially British English a large tall building that contains apartments or offices, or is part of a school, university, or hospital:
an office block
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a block of flats
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a tower block (=a very tall building - often used disapprovingly)
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My next lecture is in the science block.
▪ facility especially American English a place or building used for a particular activity or industry:
a research facility on campus
▪ edifice formal a large building, especially one that is tall and impressive - a very formal use:
Their head office was an imposing edifice.
▪ structure formal something that has been made to stand upright - used especially when talking about buildings:
The stone arch is one of the town’s oldest existing structures.
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an immense barn-like structure
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Mogul calls this building, designed by Donald and John Parkinson in 1928, ‘the most important structure in Los Angeles of the 20th century.’