Secretary of State
noun phrase
1
: the head of the U.S. government department that is in charge of how the country relates to and deals with foreign countries
2
: the head of one of several important departments of the British government
the Secretary of State for Home Affairs
Examples of Secretary of State in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That trip drew a complaint to the Secretary of State alleging lobbying, ethics and charitable solicitation violations.
—
Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2025
Former President Joe Biden carried the state by more than 7 points in 2020, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton eked out a win in New Hampshire by less than half a percentage point in 2016.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected this week.
—NPR, 22 Oct. 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, held a phone call on Monday.
—Mariam Khan, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Secretary of State
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Charlotte Observer, 22 Oct. 2025
Former President Joe Biden carried the state by more than 7 points in 2020, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton eked out a win in New Hampshire by less than half a percentage point in 2016.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also expected this week.
—NPR, 22 Oct. 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, held a phone call on Monday.
—Mariam Khan, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for Secretary of State
Cite this Entry
“Secretary of State.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Secretary%20of%20State. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share