chargé d'affaires

noun

char·​gé d'af·​faires (ˌ)shär-ˌzhā-də-ˈfer How to pronounce chargé d'affaires (audio)
plural chargés d'affaires (ˌ)shär-ˌzhā-də-ˈfer How to pronounce chargé d'affaires (audio)
-ˌzhāz-də-
1
: a subordinate diplomat who substitutes for an absent ambassador or minister
2
: a diplomat inferior in rank to an ambassador or minister who heads a mission when no ambassador or minister is assigned

Examples of chargé d'affaires in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Poland summoned the Russian charge d'affaires to demand an explanation after one such incident in December 2023. David Brennan, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2025 Elizabeth Rood, the charge d'affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, is also in attendance at court, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen reported. Siladitya Ray, Forbes, 1 July 2022 Earlier in the day, Kuwait followed Saudi Arabia and Bahrain by ordering the Lebanese charge d'affaires Saturday to leave the emirate within two days. The Associated. Press, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2021 Daniel Smith to lead the US Embassy in New Delhi as the new charge d'affaires. Jennifer Hansler, CNN, 7 May 2021 Beyond Yovanovitch, staffers like her replacement, charge d'affaires Bill Taylor, and David Holmes, who served as political counselor in Kyiv, were called to testify about Trump's plan. Conor Finnegan, ABC News, 6 May 2021 In Bum Chun; Andrei Lankov, director, NK News, professor, Kookmin University; Evans J.R. Revere, former deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires, U.S. Embassy, Seoul. Jamie McIntyre, Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2021 The embassy said in a statement on its official Facebook page that there are now only 290 expatriates within North Korea, including just nine ambassadors and four charge d'affaires. Joshua Berlinger, CNN, 2 Apr. 2021 In Bum Chun; Andrei Lankov, director, NK News, professor, Kookmin University; Evans J.R. Revere, former deputy chief of mission and charge d'affaires, U.S. Embassy, Seoul. Jamie McIntyre, Washington Examiner, 24 Mar. 2021

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, one charged with affairs

First Known Use

1756, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chargé d'affaires was in 1756

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Cite this Entry

“Chargé d'affaires.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charg%C3%A9%20d%27affaires. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.

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