secretary-general

noun

sec·​re·​tary-gen·​er·​al ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē-ˈjen-rəl How to pronounce secretary-general (audio)
-ˈje-nə-rəl
plural secretaries-general
: a principal administrative officer
secretary-general of the United Nations

Examples of secretary-general in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The United Nations secretary-general’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that the transitional council under the CARICOM agreement for Haiti is the path forward. Anneclaire Stapleton, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 The First Committee of the General Assembly voted in November 2023 to task the UN secretary-general with preparing a report on autonomous weapons, which advocates of a ban hope will be the first step toward a mandate for negotiating a treaty. Paul Scharre, Foreign Affairs, 29 Feb. 2024 Rutte is the front-runner to succeed NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg, who will step down in October, according to Reuters. Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2024 On Monday, Stéphane Dujarric, a spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general, suggested that the U.N. would play no part in Israel’s evacuations plans. Hiba Yazbek, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 The final report will be made public once handed over to the secretary-general. Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 11 Feb. 2024 With Israel then isolated and exposed, Iran will be able to liberate al-Quds as the Jewish state collapses like a spiderweb, to use Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah’s preferred analogy. Seth Cropsey, National Review, 10 Feb. 2024 Which why most countries and NGOs are supporting the UN's secretary-general, who promoted the alternate language calling for a phase-out of fossil fuels. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 11 Dec. 2023 António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, said on the X platform after the agreement that his message to those who had opposed a clear reference to the phase out of fossil fuels was that the transition was inevitable. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 13 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'secretary-general.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of secretary-general was in 1701

Dictionary Entries Near secretary-general

Cite this Entry

“Secretary-general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secretary-general. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

secretary-general

noun
plural secretaries-general
: a principal officer of administration
secretary-general of the United Nations
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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