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  

/ ˈsɛkrətrɪ, -ərɪ /

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

In November, voters in 26 states will elect a secretary of state, choosing the officials who will oversee the 2028 presidential race throughout most of the country.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026

The home secretary announced this week that Cleveland Police would be given an extra £2m to deal with the fallout from the crash, with 200 officers drafted in from elsewhere.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Upon such a determination, the secretary and other officials are to meet with state authorities and encourage them to pass similar measures and loosen standards for killing wolves.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

The commerce secretary disclosed few transactions in 2025: He sold off assets worth at least $259 million between last May and October, and bought stock-index and money-market funds worth at least $166 million.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Kathy Chenow, a White House secretary, sat at the front desk.

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

Their owners include schoolteachers and secretaries alongside some of Los Angeles’ wealthiest families.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

However, administrations are built not just by presidents, Cabinet secretaries, and the enormous federal workforce.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026

President Trump, members of Congress, world leaders, cabinet secretaries and television hosts were among the mourners assembled at the National Cathedral in Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 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

He’d searched old journals and bundled correspondences, spies’ reports, maps and treaties, trade ledgers and the minutes of royal secretaries, and anything else he could dig up.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• assistant
• clerk
• executive secretary