foreign secretary

noun

The British cabinet minister who heads the Foreign Office and is responsible for Britain's relations and dealings with other countries. Official full title: Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

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Meanings

foreign secretary1

nounforeign secretary (plural foreign secretaries)

plural foreign secretaries

  1. Alternative letter-case form of Foreign Secretary.

Foreign Secretary2

nounForeign Secretary (plural Foreign Secretaries)

plural Foreign Secretaries

  1. UKsometimesgovernmentThe British cabinet minister who heads the Foreign Office and is responsible for Britain's relations and dealings with other countries. Official full title: Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs.

    Philip Hammond has been appointed chancellor of the exchequer and Boris Johnson foreign secretary as Theresa May allocated the top posts in her cabinet on her first evening as prime minister.

    2016 July 13, Peter Walker, “Theresa May unveils cabinet, with Hammond and Johnson in top jobs”, in The Guardian, London
  2. sometimesIndia and various other countriesA senior civil servant who conducts and supervises foreign and diplomatic relations.
Cite this entry
APA

foreign secretary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreign%20secretary

MLA

“foreign secretary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreign%20secretary. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “foreign secretary,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/foreign%20secretary.

Source: foreign secretary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.