Meaning & use
a precinct
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Meanings
nouncountableAmerican
A small area of a city or town used for local voting or police organization.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a precinct', 'two precincts', 'the precinct'. Often used with 'voting', 'police', or 'electoral'.
Patterns
- voting precinct
- police precinct
- electoral precinct
Voters in my precinct go to the elementary school to cast their ballots.
The police officer was assigned to the 14th precinct.
Each precinct has its own polling station.
nouncountableBritish
An area of a town or city that is used for a particular purpose, such as shopping or entertainment.
Grammar: Countable: often used in phrases like 'shopping precinct' or 'pedestrian precinct' in British English.
Patterns
- shopping precinct
- pedestrian precinct
- entertainment precinct
The new shopping precinct has many stores and cafes.
We walked through the pedestrian precinct to avoid traffic.
The city council plans to build a cultural precinct near the river.
nouncountableBritishformal
The area around a building, especially a cathedral or church, that is enclosed by a boundary.
Grammar: Countable: usually used with 'cathedral' or 'church'. Often in the phrase 'the cathedral precinct'.
Patterns
- cathedral precinct
- church precinct
- within the precinct
The cathedral precinct is a peaceful place for reflection.
They strolled through the precinct of the old church.
The precinct walls date back to the 12th century.
Word forms
| plural | precincts |
|---|
Common combinations
- voting precinct
- The candidate visited every voting precinct in the district.
- police precinct
- He was taken to the police precinct for questioning.
- shopping precinct
- The shopping precinct was crowded on Saturday.
- cathedral precinct
- Tourists gather in the cathedral precinct every morning.
- pedestrian precinct
- Cars are not allowed in the pedestrian precinct.
Synonyms and how they differ
- district
- District is a larger area, often with official boundaries for administration, while precinct is smaller and used for voting or policing.
- ward
- Ward is a division of a city for elections, similar to precinct but typically larger and used in British English.
- zone
- Zone is a general area with a particular purpose or characteristic, not necessarily official like a precinct.
Word family
- precincts noun
- Plural form, also used to mean the surrounding area of a building or place.
Commonly confused: a precinct or precincts?
a precinct vs precincts
The plural 'precincts' often means the area around a building (e.g., 'the precincts of the university'), while 'a precinct' usually means a voting or police district.
Practice
In American English, what is the most common meaning of 'precinct'?
Choose one answer.
In American English, 'precinct' typically refers to a local voting area or a police district. Option 0 is a British meaning (shopping precinct), option 2 is not a meaning, and option 3 is also British (pedestrian precinct).
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a precinct”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.