foreign relations

American  

noun

1. (used with a plural verb) the dealings and relationships between nations.

2. (used with a singular verb) the field of foreign affairs.

   an expert in foreign relations.

3. (used with a singular verb) the quality or character of foreign affairs as a consequence of foreign policy.

   a deterioration in their foreign relations.

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Etymology

Origin of foreign relations

An Americanism dating back to 1800–10

Example Sentences

Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City Monday evening, Williams said that in the past 12 months the labor market has cooled, while the underlying trend in inflation appears to be easing into alignment with the Fed’s 2% target.

From The Wall Street Journal

Ellie Geranmayeh, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that if the U.S. removes Khamenei it could offer an opportunity for the rest of the regime to take a more pragmatic approach—as happened in Caracas.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Clearly, this is wildly illegal,” Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Sunday on CNN.

From The Wall Street Journal

It has a permanent population, a defined territory, effective government and the capacity to conduct foreign relations—the four tests of the 1933 Montevideo Convention.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Before, if a U.S. president said, ‘We’re going to come in and protect protesters,’ everyone in the Iranian government would have called his bluff and said it won’t happen,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• diplomacy