MEANING
1. A bounded area designated for a particular activity or administrative purpose.
2. An electoral or police district, especially in American English.
3. A police station serving a local police district, especially in American usage.
Use it for
Restricted public areas; local policing; pedestrian commerceTie boundaries to how people use or administer the space.
Words that belong together
- shopping precinct
- pedestrian precinct
- police precinct
On the page
The shopping precinct filled with schoolchildren after four.
The detective knew every late-night diner in her precinct.
Delivery vans entered the pedestrian precinct before the stores opened.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- precinct
Usage notes
Primary category: setting. British usage often means a pedestrian shopping area; American usage commonly means a police or electoral district. Identify the regional sense. Plural: precincts. No other inflection applies to this noun.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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