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

Homeland Security staff think the demand could mirror the U.S. Department of State's massive passport backlogs around the time the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which requires passports for crossing borders in Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda, took effect in 2007. —Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 21 Oct. 2024

In Michigan, more than 1 million absentee ballots have already been returned out of the more than 2 million that were requested, according to the Michigan Department of State's voting dashboard. —Ivana Saric, Axios, 19 Oct. 2024

The grant is part of the U.S.’s $10.5 million commitment to Ukraine under the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Response Initiative, which was established in 2023 by the U.S. Department of State. —Ella Feldman, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024

The Texas Department of State Health Services responded by launching the Oral Rabies Vaccination Program to control the spread of these wildlife rabies outbreaks. —Discover Magazine, 3 Oct. 2024

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.