Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - office

~ n 1 »BUILDING« the building that belongs to a company or organization, with a lot of rooms where people work  (The company is moving to new offices in central London. | head office (=main office) | the office)  (Did you go to the office today? | at the office)  (I must have left my keys at the office. | work in an office)  (I'd hate to work in an office, but I could use a regular income.) 2 »ROOM« a room where you do work that involves writing, calculating, or talking to people  (the manager's office | My office gets really hot and sticky in the summer.) 3 office hours the time between about nine in the morning and five in the afternoon, when the people in offices are working  (You can contact us during office hours.) 4 information/ticket etc office a room or building where people go to ask for information  (- see also box office, post office) 5 »IMPORTANT JOB« an important job or position with power, especially in government  (the office of President | in office (=in an important position))  (His decision to resign after 30 years in office came as a great shock. | hold office)  (She had previously held office as Minister of Education. | take office (=start an important job)) 6 Office used in the names of British government departments  (the Foreign Office) 7 sb's good offices formal help given by someone who has authority or can influence people  (I managed to get a visa through the good offices of a friend in the Service.)