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.
As secretary-general, Nasrallah—along with Hezbollah’s top military strategist Imad Mughniyeh—was widely credited with transforming the group from a local militia to a nonstate military more powerful than the Lebanese Armed Forces. Sarah E. Parkinson, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2024 As secretary-general, Urquiza will oversee the organization's day-to-day operations, succeeding Germany's Jürgen Stock, who has led since 2014 and is ineligible for another term. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024 Mohamed Ismail Khaled, the secretary-general of the supreme council of antiquities in Egypt, told ABC News that most of the wooden coffins and linen wraps that would have been customary for these kinds of burials were destroyed by ancient floods. Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 4 Nov. 2024 Last month, Israel struck the southern suburbs of Beirut and killed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of the militant group Hezbollah, then followed up with a military campaign against Hezbollah’s infrastructure in southern Lebanon and the capital. Kim Ghattas, The Atlantic, 2 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 21 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
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