foreign affairs

plural noun

: matters having to do with international relations and with the interests of the home country in foreign countries

Examples of foreign affairs in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Officials and ambassadors were appointed, including ministers of foreign affairs, infrastructure and defense. Richard Collett, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2025 After spending a quarter-century in journalism covering politics and foreign affairs, Oppenheim, who also wrote the Netflix miniseries Zero Day, explains he’s always been fascinated by the way institutions handle crises and respond under pressure. Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 27 Oct. 2025 Elizabeth Shackelford is a foreign affairs columnist for the Chicago Tribune. Elizabeth Shackelford, Mercury News, 21 Oct. 2025 Rohde previously was the executive editor and writer at The New Yorker, a national security editor and foreign affairs columnist for Reuters and a foreign correspondent for The New York Times. Ted Johnson, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foreign affairs

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foreign affairs was in 1611

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Foreign affairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreign%20affairs. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on foreign affairs

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!