undersecretary
noun
un·der·sec·re·tary
ˌən-dər-ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē 
-ˈse-kə-
variants
or under secretary
: a secretary immediately subordinate to a principal secretary
—often capitalized when used as a title
the British Undersecretary for India
the Under Secretary of the Treasury
Examples of undersecretary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Pentagon’s plans to possibly restructure its combatant commands and the leadership of NATO could come up when the Senate Armed Services Committee meets to vote on Trump’s nomination of Elbridge Colby to serve as undersecretary of Defense for policy.
—
Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 21 Mar. 2025
Jacob Helberg, President Trump’s pick for undersecretary of state for growth, energy, and the environment, is putting his bayfront Florida home on the market for a cool $65 million.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2025
William Greenwalt, former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial policy — not a position held by free-market ideologues — has told the story of the MRAP program, where the military needed specialty steel to produce vehicles resistant to IEDs in the Middle East.
—The Editors, National Review, 11 Feb. 2025
The position of Navy undersecretary, the service's No. 2 civilian position, requires Senate confirmation.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undersecretary
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Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 21 Mar. 2025
Jacob Helberg, President Trump’s pick for undersecretary of state for growth, energy, and the environment, is putting his bayfront Florida home on the market for a cool $65 million.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 4 Mar. 2025
William Greenwalt, former deputy undersecretary of defense for industrial policy — not a position held by free-market ideologues — has told the story of the MRAP program, where the military needed specialty steel to produce vehicles resistant to IEDs in the Middle East.
—The Editors, National Review, 11 Feb. 2025
The position of Navy undersecretary, the service's No. 2 civilian position, requires Senate confirmation.
—Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for undersecretary
Cite this Entry
“Undersecretary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undersecretary. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
undersecretary
noun
un·der·sec·re·tary
ˌən-dər-ˈsek-rə-ˌter-ē
: a secretary right under a principal secretary
undersecretary of state
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