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.
Alexander Haig, then the secretary of state, famously shouted, “I’m in control here” in the briefing room after the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981.
From Salon • Jun. 12, 2026
There are an estimated 3.6 million ballots remaining to be counted in California’s primary election, according to information provided by the secretary of state at 6 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026
Vote-by-mail ballots postmarked on or before election day and received within seven days after the election, as well as any provisional ballots cast, must still be counted, the California secretary of state said.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Steyer, a billionaire former hedge-fund manager who also ran for president in 2020, has spent $216 million of his own money on his run for governor, according to data from California’s secretary of state.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026
Soon after, the producer said I would be appearing on a panel with Angelina Jolie and Madeleine Albright, the former secretary of state, talking about war.
From "How Dare the Sun Rise" by Sandra Uwiringiyimana
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.
