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

Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Department of State, via online contact form, to ask whether the exemptions apply to the President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (PEPFAR). —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025

The Department of State Health Services recommends getting two doses of the MMR vaccine, a measles-containing vaccine, as the best protection against serious illness. —Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Jan. 2025

The protection usually is valid for several months and has to be renewed by the president, who usually consults with DHS and the Department of State about the country's conditions. —Suzanne Gamboa, NBC News, 29 Jan. 2025

The Institute of International Education implements the Fulbright U.S. Student and U.S. Scholar Programs on behalf of the U.S. Department of State. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 28 Jan. 2025

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.