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under secretary

American  
[uhn-der-sek-ri-ter-ee] / ˈʌn dərˈsɛk rɪˌtɛr i /
Or undersecretary

noun

(often initial capital letters)
  1. an official who is subordinate to a principal secretary, as in the U.S. cabinet.

    Under Secretary of the Treasury.


Etymology

Origin of under secretary

First recorded in 1680–90

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.

See Examples For:

Emil Michael, under secretary for research and engineering, has led the Defense Department’s negotiations with Anthropic.

From The Wall Street Journal Mar. 13, 2026

On Friday, Sarah Rogers, the State Department under secretary for public diplomacy, said Deranque's killing showed "why we treat political violence -- terrorism -- so harshly".

From Barron's Feb. 22, 2026

The message, posted on the account of the under secretary for foreign assistance, said reports had been received about officials illegally seizing 76 tonnes of food intended for "vulnerable Somalis".

From BBC Jan. 8, 2026

"You don't want your next deputy under secretary of the Treasury to go work for a lobbyist for four years,' Fagan said. "You want them to be doing policy planning.

From Salon Aug. 16, 2024

Robert P. Patterson became Secretary of War on 27 September 1945, after serving with Henry Stimson for five years, first as assistant and later as under secretary.

From Integration of the Armed Forces, 1940-1965 by Morris J. MacGregor

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