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

The Senate's classified briefing, which was set to include briefers from the Department of State as well as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and DNI Tulsi Gabbard, had been postponed to later in the week to allow for other briefers to join. —Lauren Peller, ABC News, 24 June 2025

The program also allows the Department of State to be able to quickly contact you in case of an emergency. —Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 23 June 2025

The Department of State is planning for contingencies to assist with private U.S. citizens' departure from Israel. —Andrew Stanton shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 June 2025

Any additional exceptions, including the designation of major sporting events, will be at the discretion of the Secretary of State, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State. —Justin Williams, New York Times, 19 June 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.