secretary of state
Americannoun
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the head and chief administrator of the U.S. Department of State.
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British. any of several ministers in the British government.
A new secretary of state for the Home Department has been appointed.
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(in the U.S.) the appointed or elected official in a state government whose chief function is to distribute statutes, administer elections, keep archives, etc.
noun
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(in Britain) the head of any of several government departments
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(in the US) the head of the government department in charge of foreign affairs ( State Department )
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(in certain US states) an official with various duties, such as keeping records
Etymology
Origin of secretary of state
First recorded in 1610–20
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.
Applicants will have to register with the secretary of state, document a threat within the past year and receive a substitute address that government agencies must generally accept.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
And Section 5 of the order allows the secretary of state and Homeland Security to grant any exemptions they want to parents who might otherwise fall within the order’s orbit.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
Conor Murphy was speaking after the political parties separately met Sir Chris Bryant, during his first visit to Northern Ireland as secretary of state.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
Now secretary of state, Rubio and his office have some involvement in the continuing discussions, but Lutnick and Bessent are seen as spearheading the effort, according to people familiar with the matter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
It was December 1990, and I was traveling to Berlin with the re- porters covering secretary of state James A. Baker III. The Berlin Wall had been breached a year earlier, on November 9, 1989.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
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.
