prefecture

noun

pre·​fec·​ture ˈprē-ˌfek-chər How to pronounce prefecture (audio)
1
: the office or term of office of a prefect
2
: the official residence of a prefect
3
: the district governed by a prefect
prefectural adjective

Examples of prefecture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Their guilt grows, as in the years between their childhood and Tabo’s suicide some four decades later, multiple dead bodies are discovered—always female, always wearing an article of orange clothing, and always in the same prefecture, where Tabo still lives with his mother. Katie Kitamura, Harpers Magazine, 16 July 2025 Crossing seven modern-day prefectures and the snowy crags of the Japanese Alps, this thoroughfare, the Nakasendō, connected the imperial capital of Kyoto with the cultural capital of Edo (now Tokyo). Hannah Walhout, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2025 Go Taxi is Japan’s go-to taxi app and is available in nearly every prefecture across Japan. Michelle Gross, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025 He was found guilty in December 2020 of murdering, raping and dismembering the nine victims, and storing their bodies in his apartment in Zama, Kanagawa prefecture, on the outskirts of Tokyo. Junko Ogura, CNN Money, 26 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for prefecture

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of prefecture was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Prefecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prefecture. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

prefecture

noun
pre·​fec·​ture ˈprē-ˌfek-chər How to pronounce prefecture (audio)
1
: the office or term of office of a prefect
2
: the district governed by a prefect
prefectural adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on prefecture

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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