secretary-general

noun

sec·​re·​tary-gen·​er·​al ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē-ˈjen-rəl How to pronounce secretary-general (audio)
-ˈje-nə-rəl
plural secretaries-general
: a principal administrative officer
secretary-general of the United Nations

Examples of secretary-general 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.
Musawi was the Party’s second secretary-general, until he was assassinated by Israel, in 1992. Rania Abouzeid, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2024 Afif was a long-time media adviser to Hezbollah secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sept. 27. Reuters, USA TODAY, 18 Nov. 2024 An early test of the axis came in 1992, when Israel assassinated Abbas al-Musawi, who was the secretary-general of Hezbollah. Renad Mansour, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2024 Trump also received congratulations from Jens Stoltenberg, who served as secretary-general of NATO until his term ended in October. Jared Gans, The Hill, 6 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for secretary-general 

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of secretary-general was in 1701

Dictionary Entries Near secretary-general

Cite this Entry

“Secretary-general.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secretary-general. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

secretary-general

noun
plural secretaries-general
: a principal officer of administration
secretary-general of the United Nations
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!