secretary
a person, usually an official, who is in charge of the records, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and related affairs of an organization, company, association, etc.: the secretary of the Linguistic Society of America.
a person employed to handle correspondence and do routine work in a business office, usually involving taking dictation, typing, filing, and the like.
(often initial capital letter) an officer of state charged with the superintendence and management of a particular department of government, as a member of the president's cabinet in the U.S.: Secretary of the Treasury.
Also called diplomatic secretary. a diplomatic official of an embassy or legation who ranks below a counselor and is usually assigned as first secretary, second secretary, or third secretary.
a piece of furniture for use as a writing desk.
Also called secretary bookcase. a desk with bookshelves on top of it.
Origin of secretary
1Other words from secretary
- sec·re·tar·y·ship, noun
- sub·sec·re·tar·y, noun, plural sub·sec·re·tar·ies.
- sub·sec·re·tar·y·ship, noun
- un·der·sec·re·tar·y·ship, noun
Words Nearby secretary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use secretary in a sentence
Before that, the secretary himself, Raffensperger, met with von Spakovsky in the summer of 2019 at Raffensperger’s request.
No Democrats Allowed: A Conservative Lawyer Holds Secret Voter Fraud Meetings With State Election Officials | by Mike Spies, Jake Pearson and Jessica Huseman | September 15, 2020 | ProPublicaNational Association of Secretaries of StateEvery state makes its own voting rules, so it makes sense that the secretaries of state, whose offices handle elections, would have banded together to help people vote.
It’s time to check your voter registration—here’s how | John Kennedy | September 10, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe secretary of state said this would take a couple of weeks to resolve.
As the U.K.’s coronavirus testing system struggles, the health secretary blames too many ‘inappropriate’ tests | David Meyer | September 9, 2020 | FortuneIncluded in the ban are ads purchased by election officials — secretaries of state and boards of elections — who use Facebook to inform voters about how voting will work.
Facebook’s Political Ad Ban Also Threatens Ability to Spread Accurate Information on How to Vote | by Jeremy B. Merrill for ProPublica | September 4, 2020 | ProPublicaShe previously served as the assistant press secretary and director of women’s media at the Democratic National Committee.
Donald Trump has failed to protect me and other students from COVID-19 | jakemeth | September 3, 2020 | Fortune
And compare, as noted up top, to secretary Clinton, who spent years quietly pushing a modernized Cuba policy.
The certification, which lasts three years, was renewed by then-Defense secretary Leon Panetta in 2012.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See | Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEven Defense secretary Gates, at least for a time, was open to the notion.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See | Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn order to withhold the photographs, the secretary of defense must certify that photographs could cause harm to Americans.
The Detainee Abuse Photos Obama Didn’t Want You To See | Noah Shachtman, Tim Mak | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTALEC echoed the ideology of Charles Wilson, the first Defense secretary in the Eisenhower administration.
He desired his secretary to go to the devil, but, thinking better of it, he recalled him as he reached the door.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniAt his desk sat his secretary, who had been a witness of the interview, lost in wonder almost as great as the Seneschal's own.
St. Martin's Summer | Rafael SabatiniI should pay a capable secretary like you—knowing several languages and all that—say forty dollars a week.
Rosemary in Search of a Father | C. N. WilliamsonProbably his Private secretary, considering you a new man, will have failed to furnish the necessary information.
And here let me point out for your future guidance the importance of having a private secretary thoroughly up to his work.
British Dictionary definitions for secretary
/ (ˈsɛkrətrɪ, -ərɪ) /
a person who handles correspondence, keeps records, and does general clerical work for an individual, organization, etc
the official manager of the day-to-day business of a society or board
(in Britain) a senior civil servant who assists a government minister
(in the US and New Zealand) the head of a government administrative department
(in Britain) See secretary of state (def. 1)
(in Australia) the head of a public service department
diplomacy the assistant to an ambassador or diplomatic minister of certain countries
another name for secretaire
Origin of secretary
1Derived forms of secretary
- secretarial (ˌsɛkrɪˈtɛərɪəl), adjective
- secretaryship, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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