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

In Texas, where an outbreak has been spreading in the western part of the state, at least 663 cases have been confirmed as of Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. —Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 2 May 2025

Tillis’ office also was hard at work, reaching out to Congressional contacts in the U.S. Embassy as well as the Department of State in Washington, D.C., Keylin says. —Peter Baugh, New York Times, 1 May 2025

More than 74 percent of people with a Michigan driver's license or ID had upgraded to a REAL ID as of April 16, according to the Michigan Department of State. —Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025

The Department of State will continue to work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to enforce zero tolerance for aliens in the United States who violate U.S. laws, threaten public safety, or in other situations where warranted. —Danielle Wallace , Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025

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.