foreign service

noun

: the field force of a foreign office comprising diplomatic and consular personnel

Examples of foreign service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In 1970, at the height of the Cold War, there were 3,000 foreign service officers. Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025 His mother was a State Department and CIA analyst, and his father was a foreign service agent who served as U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka under former President Richard Nixon. Riley Beggin, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025 Two foreign service unions are suing the federal government as the Trump administration attempts to reduce USAID's workforce from 14,000 to only 300 employees. Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 7 Feb. 2025 Hanrahan replaces Louis Bono, a senior foreign service officer who had held the role since President Trump began his current term in January. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foreign service

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foreign service was in 1799

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Cite this Entry

“Foreign service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreign%20service. Accessed 20 May. 2025.

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