secretary

American  

[sek-ri-ter-ee] / ˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr i /

noun

secretaries plural

1. 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.

2. a person employed to handle correspondence and do routine work in a business office, usually involving taking dictation, typing, filing, and the like.

3. private secretary.

4. (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.

5. 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.

6. a piece of furniture for use as a writing desk.

7. Also called secretary bookcase.  a desk with bookshelves on top of it.

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secretary British  

/ -ərɪ, ˈsɛkrətrɪ, ˌsɛkrɪˈtɛərɪəl /

noun

1. a person who handles correspondence, keeps records, and does general clerical work for an individual, organization, etc

2. the official manager of the day-to-day business of a society or board

3. (in Britain) a senior civil servant who assists a government minister

4. (in the US and New Zealand) the head of a government administrative department

5. (in Britain) See secretary of state

6. (in Australia) the head of a public service department

7. diplomacy the assistant to an ambassador or diplomatic minister of certain countries

8. another name for secretaire

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• secretaryship
  noun
• subsecretary
  noun
• subsecretaryship
  noun
• undersecretaryship
  noun
• secretarial
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• secretaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of secretary

1350–1400; Middle English secretarie one trusted with private or secret matters; confidant < Medieval Latin sēcrētārius < Latin sēcrēt ( um ) secret (noun) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

If you handle the correspondence and clerical work for your boss or your company, you are a secretary. One of your duties as a secretary is to open the mail. Today, the preferred term for the kind of secretary who works in an office is administrative assistant. The noun secretary can also refer to the person who is in charge of an administrative department in the government, like the Secretary of Defense. A secretary can also be a piece of furniture — specifically, a type of writing desk.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secretary secretaries

“The big idea here is to give the president and the secretary the most flexibility, and the force the most options to present to them,” Votel said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Marco Rubio, who doubles as secretary of state and national security adviser, was in the Philippines, attending an Asian security conference, when the announcement was made.

From Slate ● Jul. 22, 2026

Eddie Dempsey, RMT general secretary, said RMT reps at EMR had been "extremely patient" and tried to engage with management.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

In its obituary, the William F. Buckley-founded National Review praised the former secretary of state as a man who spent his life tamping down turmoil.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

The moment the bag was filled, a secretary would come in and replace it with an empty one.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

Stanford’s Hoover Institution has housed former secretaries of State and national security advisors for decades.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

From the late 16th Century, armies of scribes, agents and secretaries compiled akhbarat - brief news reports on court intrigue, military campaigns, appointments, finances and gossip.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The National Energy Dominance Council, led by the interior and energy secretaries, has “helped us with, candidly, introducing us and helping us meet some of these people overseas,” Calce said on an industry podcast.

From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026

The officers on the original list were selected by a board of admirals that are governed by “precepts” set by the service secretaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

I succeeded in reaching several trustees' secretaries during the days that followed, and all were friendly and encouraging.

From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison

Related Words

• assistant
• clerk
• executive secretary