undersecretary

British

/ ˌʌndəˈsɛkrətrɪ /

noun

1. any of various senior civil servants in certain government departments
2. short for undersecretary of state: any of various high officials subordinate only to the minister in charge of a department
(in the US) a high government official subordinate only to the secretary in charge of a department

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

undersecretaryship noun

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.

His replacement, Cao, became undersecretary in October 2025 and is a 25-year Navy veteran.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Elbridge Colby, undersecretary of defense for policy, wrote that it’s in the national interest to “seek to reduce civilian harm to the degree possible.”

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

Emil Michael, the undersecretary of war, wrote on X Thursday that he agreed mass surveillance was unlawful, and the Department of Defense “would never do it.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

“They’re not going to do to it without help from the Department of Labor and a rule that can last,” the undersecretary said.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

“Enjoy yourself in the market,” shouted back the undersecretary.

From "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023