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

As do Lindsay and European Council on Foreign Relations Research Director Jeremy Shapiro (no relation to Robert), who previously served as special adviser to the assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Department of State. —Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025

The United States Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs recently issued a Level 2 travel advisory for the island due to crime and unreliable electrical power. —Michael Cappetta, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2025

According to 2024 data from the U.S. Department of State, 49 percent of Americans have one. —Jennifer Billock, AFAR Media, 12 May 2025

The first measles case this year was reported in late January in Texas, where the number of cases had climbed to 709 as of Friday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. —Amir Mahmoud, Arkansas Online, 9 May 2025

Rhymes for Department of State

• borosilicate
• decontaminate
• deoxycholate
• deteriorate
• differentiate
• diisocyanate
• dinoflagellate
• excommunicate
• incapacitate
• insubordinate
• intercorporate
• interpenetrate

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.