secretary-general
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of secretary-general
First recorded in 1695–1705
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.
Bachelet, 74, insisted that she would be "an independent secretary-general, always on the ground".
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
“We are trapped in a Kafkaesque cycle; expected to give back cash that does not exist,” the secretary-general wrote to members this year urging them to adjust the policy.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 30, 2026
Davji Bhimji Atellah, secretary-general of the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union, said the country didn’t even have enough workers and drugs to deal with regular health challenges, much less an Ebola outbreak.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 29, 2026
The General Assembly, where all UN member states are represented, elects the secretary-general for a five-year term, renewable once.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
At that session of the NEC I was elected deputy president of the organization while Alfred Nzo, the organization’s secretary-general, was named acting president while Oliver was recuperating.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
