Secretary of State
noun phrase
1
: the head of the U.S. government department that is in charge of how the country relates to and deals with foreign countries
2
: the head of one of several important departments of the British government
the Secretary of State for Home Affairs
Examples of Secretary of State in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited El Salvador during his first trip in office, securing a deal with Bukele for El Salvador to accept deportees of any nationality.
—
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The signatures are due to the Secretary of State on May 27 for review to determine whether the measure will be on the ballot.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2026
This person casts the different views within the president’s national-security team—which includes Hegseth, Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—as part of a healthy tension that serves the president.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Other officials — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller — were quickly whisked away too.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for Secretary of State
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.
ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
The signatures are due to the Secretary of State on May 27 for review to determine whether the measure will be on the ballot.
—Bruce Finley, Denver Post, 27 Apr. 2026
This person casts the different views within the president’s national-security team—which includes Hegseth, Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles—as part of a healthy tension that serves the president.
—Michael Scherer, The Atlantic, 27 Apr. 2026
Other officials — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller — were quickly whisked away too.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for Secretary of State
Cite this Entry
“Secretary of State.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Secretary%20of%20State. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
