undersecretary

noun

un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈse-krə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce undersecretary (audio)
-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
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.
The Senate voted 51-47 Wednesday to confirm John Hurley, President Trump’s nominee to serve as undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department. Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 23 July 2025 The result of these and other assaults, wrote Jed Kolko, a former undersecretary for economic affairs at the Commerce Department overseeing data operations at the Census Bureau and BEA, will include the destruction of trust in U.S. economic data. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025 Carson is a former congressman representing Oklahoma's 2nd District and served as acting undersecretary of Defense. Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025 But their requests have drawn resistance from undersecretary of defense for policy Elbridge Colby, who has long opposed moving US military assets from Asia to the Middle East, people sympathetic to each side of the argument told Semafor. Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for undersecretary

Word History

First Known Use

1687, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of undersecretary was in 1687

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Cite this Entry

“Undersecretary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/undersecretary. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

undersecretary

noun
un·​der·​sec·​re·​tary ˌən-dər-ˈsek-rə-ˌter-ē How to pronounce undersecretary (audio)
: a secretary right under a principal secretary
undersecretary of state

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