the Foreign Office
noun
: a government department especially in Great Britain that deals with foreign affairs
Note: The official name of the British Foreign Office is now the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Examples of the Foreign Office in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Russian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office to respond to the report and to ongoing Russian hybrid operations.
—
Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Above him, Princess Kate watched in quiet composure from the Foreign Office balcony.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
Hassan also told the British newspaper that Sadaf Javed, Syed’s older sister, who resides in London, wants to go to Ahmedabad but received no assistance from the Foreign Office.
—David Chiu, People.com, 13 June 2025
The debate has laid bare differences between the Foreign Office, which is viewed as more forward-leaning, and 10 Downing Street, which is viewed as more cautious.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Others marveled that the Foreign Office could have been so heedless as to send such a sensitive communication via wireless, and expressed their bewilderment that a top-secret document could have ended up in American hands.
—Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
Andrei Kelin, Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, was expelled in retaliation to the ouster of two British Embassy staff in Moscow, the Foreign Office said.
—arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Lau said she had not been contacted by Britain’s Home Office, the government department responsible for immigration and security, or the Foreign Office.
—Henry Austin, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2025
Subsequently, other prime ministers went ahead and reduced the Foreign Office grant to the BBC, even in the midst of the Cold War, forcing it to close down or scale back some of its foreign-language services.
—Simon J. Potter, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2023
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Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2025
Above him, Princess Kate watched in quiet composure from the Foreign Office balcony.
—Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025
Hassan also told the British newspaper that Sadaf Javed, Syed’s older sister, who resides in London, wants to go to Ahmedabad but received no assistance from the Foreign Office.
—David Chiu, People.com, 13 June 2025
The debate has laid bare differences between the Foreign Office, which is viewed as more forward-leaning, and 10 Downing Street, which is viewed as more cautious.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 29 May 2025
Others marveled that the Foreign Office could have been so heedless as to send such a sensitive communication via wireless, and expressed their bewilderment that a top-secret document could have ended up in American hands.
—Timothy W. Ryback, The Atlantic, 11 Apr. 2025
Andrei Kelin, Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom, was expelled in retaliation to the ouster of two British Embassy staff in Moscow, the Foreign Office said.
—arkansasonline.com, 13 Mar. 2025
Lau said she had not been contacted by Britain’s Home Office, the government department responsible for immigration and security, or the Foreign Office.
—Henry Austin, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2025
Subsequently, other prime ministers went ahead and reduced the Foreign Office grant to the BBC, even in the midst of the Cold War, forcing it to close down or scale back some of its foreign-language services.
—Simon J. Potter, Foreign Affairs, 31 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“The Foreign Office.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20Foreign%20Office. Accessed 13 Dec. 2025.
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