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

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

Rubio, nominee for secretary of state, is among Beijing’s harshest critics, having argued for travel bans on some Chinese officials and for the closure of Hong Kong’s US trade offices.

From BBC

Unlike many others, he sees some rays of hope from the incoming Trump administration, especially with the appointment of Marco Rubio as secretary of state.

From BBC

X didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, and the secretary of state’s office said the agency doesn’t comment on pending litigation.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cabinet minister