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

Earlier this year, two children ages 6 and 8, died from measles amid an outbreak in Texas where Department of State Health Services data revealed more than 94% of cases were in unvaccinated people, USA TODAY previously reported. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025

Americans in Mexico can also choose to receive messages and alerts from the embassy through a dedicated WhatsApp channel, and travelers can enroll in the Department of State's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), which allows officials to contact them in an emergency. —Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 25 Nov. 2025

Lara Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services, said epidemiologists with the Texas Cancer Registry in 2018 found that the state had the nation’s highest incidence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma, a liver cancer more common in men than women. —Rachana Pradhan, CNN Money, 21 Nov. 2025

The Texas Department of State Health Services (DHSH) revealed this week that there are nearly four times the number of whooping cough cases in the state compared to this time last year. —Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 13 Nov. 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.