foreign relations
Americannoun
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(used with a plural verb) the dealings and relationships between nations.
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(used with a singular verb) the field of foreign affairs.
an expert in foreign relations.
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(used with a singular verb) the quality or character of foreign affairs as a consequence of foreign policy.
a deterioration in their foreign relations.
Etymology
Origin of foreign relations
An Americanism dating back to 1800–10
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In other countries, Mr. Mandelbaum writes, “a small circle of officials” tend to dominate foreign relations, paying scant heed to “what the people of the country have thought or wanted.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
"We realised that the security architecture that we are in was not working," Sargis Khandanyan, chairman of the foreign relations committee at Armenia's National Assembly, told the BBC.
From BBC ● May 3, 2026
Last week, the Mexican Senate confirmed President Claudia Sheinbaum’s nomination of Velasco as the new secretary of foreign relations, Mexico’s equivalent of secretary of State.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2026
The image illustrated what many experts say is Field Marshal Asim Munir's growing role at the centre of Pakistan's foreign relations.
From Barron's ● Apr. 12, 2026
What were the five periods in the foreign relations of Is´ra-el?
From Outline Studies in the Old Testament for Bible Teachers by Hurlbut, Jesse Lyman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
