Security Council

American  

noun

1. the division of the United Nations charged with maintaining international peace, composed of five permanent members (U.S., Russian Federation, France, United Kingdom, and the People's Republic of China) and ten temporary members, each serving for two years.

---

Security Council British  

noun

1. a permanent organ of the United Nations established to maintain world peace. It consists of five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US) and ten nonpermanent members

---

Security Council Cultural  

1. An important division of the United Nations that contains five permanent members — the United States, Britain, China, France, and Russia — and ten rotating members. It is often called into session to respond quickly to international crises. Any permanent member can exercise a veto over a resolution before the Security Council.

---

Example Sentences

The Security Council deliberations are expected to begin in late July, before a General Assembly vote in the following months.

From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026

There are five permanent members of the UN Security Council – China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US – and 10 temporary ones.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

And those troops have been unable to train or maintain their weapons, said Craig Deare, who served early in Trump’s first administration as senior director for Western Hemisphere affairs at the National Security Council.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026

The UN Security Council adopted a resolution in November 2025 endorsing the US-backed peace plan, which called for the full resumption of humanitarian aid.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

The United Nations Security Council had passed a new resolution to tighten the monitoring and enforcement of sanctions against the Taliban.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai