secretary of state

or Secretary of State

noun

1. the head and chief administrator of the U.S. Department of State. Compare foreign minister.
2. British. any of several ministers in the British government:

   A new secretary of state for the Home Department has been appointed.

3. (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.

secretary of state

noun

1. (in Britain) the head of any of several government departments
2. (in the US) the head of the government department in charge of foreign affairs ( State Department )
3. (in certain US states) an official with various duties, such as keeping records

secretary of state

1. The head of the United States Department of State and, as leading member of the cabinet , fourth in line of succession to the presidency. The secretary of state is charged with formulating American foreign policy and conducting relations with other nations.

Word History and Origins

Origin of secretary of state¹

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

Yet by Thursday — 16 days after the election — Lake County still had more than 10,000 ballots left to count, according to the secretary of state.

From Los Angeles Times

Florida's secretary of state, responsible for election procedures, has not commented on the matter.

From Salon

When Prescott became deputy PM in 1997, he was also handed a very large portfolio as secretary of state for the new Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

From BBC

The minister added: “The secretary of state for education will be looking across the piece at exactly where the money that she has been allocated will be prioritised.”

From BBC

“I could argue that Anthony Blinken was a joke of a secretary of state, and 'border czar' Kamala Harris was a f**king joke,” Santos said.

From Salon

Related Words

• cabinet minister