the Foreign Service
noun
: a part of the U.S. State Department that hires people (such as diplomats) to represent the government in foreign countries
Examples of the Foreign Service in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Paint houses, pick up trash, pave our crappy roads, mentor other youths, clean up graffiti, plant flowers, join the National Guard or the Foreign Service.
—
Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
At Georgetown, Kuang intended to continue with debate before going to work in the Foreign Service.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
The American Foreign Service Association, which represents members of the Foreign Service, has also previously pushed back on the plans.
—Camilla Schick, CBS News, 10 July 2025
The change comes in response to the annual defense policy bill recently passed by Congress, which modified a portion of the Foreign Service Act to now allow the department to implement indefinite suspensions for foreign service employees.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 28 June 2025
And amid a federal hiring freeze, tests for the Foreign Service — men and women who staff U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, often for their entire professional lives — were put on hold.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Passing the Foreign Service exam should not be the be all and end all qualification for becoming an ambassador: the interests of the country are often well served by emissaries with experience from other walks of life.
—Christopher R. Hill, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2020
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Carlo Versano, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
At Georgetown, Kuang intended to continue with debate before going to work in the Foreign Service.
—Hua Hsu, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
The American Foreign Service Association, which represents members of the Foreign Service, has also previously pushed back on the plans.
—Camilla Schick, CBS News, 10 July 2025
The change comes in response to the annual defense policy bill recently passed by Congress, which modified a portion of the Foreign Service Act to now allow the department to implement indefinite suspensions for foreign service employees.
—Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 28 June 2025
And amid a federal hiring freeze, tests for the Foreign Service — men and women who staff U.S. embassies and consulates around the world, often for their entire professional lives — were put on hold.
—Michael Wilner, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Passing the Foreign Service exam should not be the be all and end all qualification for becoming an ambassador: the interests of the country are often well served by emissaries with experience from other walks of life.
—Christopher R. Hill, Foreign Affairs, 19 June 2020
Cite this Entry
“The Foreign Service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Foreign%20Service. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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