undersecretary

noun

un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce undersecretary (audio)
-ˈse-kə-
variants or under secretary
: a secretary immediately subordinate to a principal secretary
often capitalized when used as a title
the British Undersecretary for India
the Under Secretary of the Treasury

Examples of undersecretary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The third in line among Pentagon civilian leadership, the office of the undersecretary of defense for policy, is temporarily an acting position because nominee Derek Chollet has not been confirmed by the Senate, the source said. Peter Alexander, NBC News, 7 Jan. 2024 John Cohen, who served as the former acting undersecretary for intelligence and analysis at the Department of Homeland Security, said Abbott's interpretation is not accurate. Luke Barr, ABC News, 25 Jan. 2024 Having previously served as a district attorney, U.S. Representative, DEA administrator and Homeland Security undersecretary, Hutchinson was most recently the 46th governor of Arkansas from 2015 until 2023, when he was succeeded by Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Virginia Chamlee, Peoplemag, 16 Jan. 2024 Hovde's father, Donald, served in the Reagan administration as undersecretary of Housing and Urban Development. Journal Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024 David Kappos served as the undersecretary of Commerce for intellectual property and director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office from 2009 to 2013. Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 10 Nov. 2023 The situation described Thursday by Martin Griffiths, the U.N. undersecretary for humanitarian affairs, at a news conference in Geneva was the most pessimistic since the conflict began with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Karen Deyoung, Washington Post, 8 Dec. 2023 The letter was addressed to Alan Estevez, undersecretary of Commerce for Industry and Security. Eva Dou, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2023 Martin Griffiths, the U.N. undersecretary general for humanitarian affairs, was scheduled to arrive in Cairo on Tuesday, followed by U.N. chief Guterres on Wednesday to make the case for an urgent humanitarian corridor to Gaza. Claire Parker, Washington Post, 17 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'undersecretary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1687, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undersecretary was in 1687

Dictionary Entries Near undersecretary

Cite this Entry

“Undersecretary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undersecretary. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

undersecretary

noun
un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈsek-rə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce undersecretary (audio)
: a secretary right under a principal secretary
undersecretary of state

More from Merriam-Webster on undersecretary

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