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

In early January 1993, Bush, a Republican, visited Moscow to sign a nuclear treaty and Paris to meet with then-President François Mitterrand of France about the Bosnian war, U.S. Department of State records show. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024

Open Doors is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. —Michael T. Nietzel, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024

Nancy Pelosi delivers remarks at the Anti-Corruption Champions Award Ceremony at the Department of State in Washington, D.C, on Dec. 9, 2024. —Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 13 Dec. 2024

Texas' Department of State Health Services has a Respiratory Illness Interactive Dashboard that tracks the emergency room visits, hospitalizations and deaths. —Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 10 Dec. 2024

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.