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

The letters ask the Texas Department of State Health Services to decline Camp Mystic’s license, and impose a hold on its renewal and operation until investigations are complete, their findings are made public and compliance is independently verified. —Andy Rose, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026

Shuford, as head of the Texas Department of State Health Services, led the state's response to a massive measles outbreak last year, and credited vaccination and testing in declaring it over. —Annika Kim Constantino,jacob Pramuk, CNBC, 16 Apr. 2026

The Texas Rangers are still searching for remaining flood victims in Kerr County and assisting the Texas Department of State Health Services in an investigation into complaints of neglect during the floods, according to Sheridan Nolen, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety. —N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026

But now, new rules from the Texas Department of State Health Services are cracking down on smokable hemp products, putting everything she's built at risk. —Erin Jones, CBS News, 9 Apr. 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.