Department of State

noun phrase

: the part of the U.S. government that is responsible for how the U.S. deals with other countries

Examples of Department of State in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And while the entire country is listed under the Department of State's second-lowest Level 2 travel advisory (with several areas under higher warning levels), the embassy and consulates have a few World Cup-specific warnings from avoiding driving danger to packing carefully. —Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2026

Contact the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for information on human infestation. —Mateo Rosiles, USA Today, 4 June 2026

This free service allows U.S. citizens to enroll their trip with the Department of State, which uses the information on the enrollment form to send emergency alerts. —Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 30 May 2026

This past week, detectives from the sheriff's office, along with the Allegheny County Police and the U.S. Department of State, learned that Kane would be returning to Pittsburgh from Iceland on Friday. —Patrick Damp, CBS News, 30 May 2026

Rhymes for Department of State

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

Legal Definition

Department of State

Agency

federal executive division responsible for carrying out U.S. foreign policy. It is the president's principal means of conducting treaty negotiations and effecting agreements with foreign nations. Under its control are the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, seven bureaus of political affairs, the U.S. Foreign Service (including 270 embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions, and numerous subagencies), and various offices of diplomatic security, foreign intelligence, policy analysis, international narcotics control, protocol, and passport and medical services. The department's legal adviser advises the secretary of state on all matters of international law arising in the conduct of foreign relations.