secretary

secretary — noun

1. someone whose job is to manage letters and emails, answer phone calls, schedule

1.nounA2
Definition

someone whose job is to manage letters and emails, answer phone calls, schedule meetings, and carry out other clerical tasks for a manager or an organization

Example

The new secretary organizes all of Dr. Okafor's patient appointments and travel arrangements.

collocation: secretary + organizes + appointments

Lara asked her secretary to type the letter and send it to the client before noon.

pattern: ask + secretary + to-infinitive

Common collocations
  • executive secretary
  • legal secretary
  • medical secretary
  • private secretary
  • company secretary
  • secretarial work
  • secretary's desk
Synonyms
  • administrative assistant

    a more modern and formal term, often preferred in corporate settings for broader office-management duties

  • assistant

    broader in meaning; may include personal tasks and direct project support

  • clerk

    typically focuses on filing, data entry, and routine paperwork rather than correspondence or scheduling

Grammar Patterns

adjective + secretary (legal secretary, executive secretary)

possessive + secretary (her secretary, the manager's secretary)

Usage Note

Frequently paired with an adjective that specifies the work context, such as legal secretary, medical secretary, or executive secretary. The role is distinct from a receptionist, who primarily greets visitors, or a personal assistant, who may handle personal errands.

Common Mistakes

I asked the secretary to bring me coffee from the café.
I asked the secretary to schedule a conference call for 3 p.m.
A professional secretary handles administrative tasks, not personal errands, unless the role specifically includes them.

2. an officer within a club, society, or committee who records what happens at meet

2.nounB1
Definition

an officer within a club, society, or committee who records what happens at meetings, sends official messages to members, and maintains the group's documents

Example

The tennis club secretary sends out meeting reminders to all forty members.

collocation: club secretary / committee secretary / society secretary

Emre was elected secretary of the student council and takes notes at every meeting.

pattern: elected secretary of [organization]

Common collocations
  • club secretary
  • committee secretary
  • honorary secretary
  • society secretary
  • secretary-elect
  • secretary's report
Synonyms
  • recording secretary

    specifies the officer who writes the minutes of meetings

  • clerk

    used in some formal committees (e.g., clerk of the committee), though less common for volunteer groups

Grammar Patterns

secretary of [organization]

secretary to [committee]

[club/society] secretary

Usage Note

The secretary of a club or committee is usually an elected or appointed officer among the group's members. The role is often paired with a treasurer or chairperson in the officer lineup.

3. a senior official who has overall responsibility for managing a large organizati

3.nounB2
Definition

a senior official who has overall responsibility for managing a large organization, such as an international body, a government agency, or a major institution

Example

The UN Secretary-General called for an emergency meeting of world leaders.

collocation: Secretary-General (capitalized as a title)

Christopher serves as the secretary of the regional health authority, overseeing five hospitals.

Common collocations
  • company secretary
  • secretary-general
  • general secretary
  • executive secretary
  • secretary of the board
  • corporate secretary
Synonyms
  • administrator

    more generic; does not imply the record-keeping or correspondence duties of a secretary

  • director

    more common in business contexts, though usually at a slightly higher level

  • executive officer

    formal term for a senior manager in an organization

Grammar Patterns

Secretary-General of [organization]

secretary of [institution/authority]

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1 — in this role the person is a senior administrator or executive, not a support worker. The company secretary in many jurisdictions is a legally required officer with duties to shareholders and regulators.

Common Mistakes

The company secretary made coffee for the CEO.
The company secretary filed the annual report with the regulator.
The company secretary is a senior legal officer, not an administrative assistant.

4. (in the United Kingdom) the member of the government who is in charge of a major

4.nounB2
Definition

(in the United Kingdom) the member of the government who is in charge of a major government department, such as the Foreign Office or the Home Office

Example

The Foreign Secretary travelled to Geneva for trade talks with European leaders.

capitalized title: Foreign Secretary / Home Secretary / Defence Secretary

In the UK the Health Secretary is responsible for the National Health Service.

Common collocations
  • Foreign Secretary
  • Home Secretary
  • Health Secretary
  • Defence Secretary
  • Education Secretary
  • Secretary of State
Synonyms
  • minister

    the more general term for a member of government heading a department; used in most countries

  • cabinet minister

    specifies that the person sits in the cabinet

  • secretary of state

    the full formal title in the UK system

Grammar Patterns

the [Department] Secretary (UK), Secretary of State for [Department]

Usage Note

The full official title is Secretary of State for [Department], but in news and everyday use the short form [Department] Secretary is common (e.g. Health Secretary, Defence Secretary). Always capitalized as part of a title.

Common Mistakes

The US Secretary of State visited London' when referring to the UK role.
The Foreign Secretary visited London.
The UK equivalent of the US Secretary of State is the Foreign Secretary; the two titles are not interchangeable.

5. (in the United States) a member of the President's cabinet who leads a federal g

5.nounB2
Definition

(in the United States) a member of the President's cabinet who leads a federal government department, for example the Secretary of Defense or the Secretary of the Treasury

Example

The Secretary of Defense testified before Congress about the military budget.

capitalized title: Secretary of Defense / Secretary of State / Secretary of the Treasury

President Kim nominated Liang to serve as the next Secretary of Energy.

Common collocations
  • Secretary of State
  • Secretary of Defense
  • Secretary of the Treasury
  • Secretary of Energy
  • cabinet secretary
  • deputy secretary
Synonyms
  • cabinet secretary

    generic term for a US department head who sits in the cabinet

  • department head

    more generic, used in non-governmental contexts too

  • minister

    not used in US federal government but used internationally for equivalent roles

Grammar Patterns

Secretary of [Department] (US system)

Usage Note

Unlike the UK system where the title is '[Department] Secretary', the US form is 'Secretary of [Department]'. The US Secretary of State handles foreign affairs and is equivalent to a foreign minister in other countries. Not to be confused with sense 4.

Common Mistakes

The UK Secretary of State for Defense' (wrong preposition).
The UK Defence Secretary' / 'The US Secretary of Defense.
The UK uses 'Secretary of State for [Department]' or short form '[Department] Secretary'; the US uses 'Secretary of [Department]'.

6. a piece of furniture that combines a writing surface, often a drop-down flap, wi

6.nounC1
Definition

a piece of furniture that combines a writing surface, often a drop-down flap, with a set of drawers, cabinets, or shelves above for storing books and papers

Example

Amihan bought an antique secretary with a drop-down writing surface and glass shelves on top.

description: drop-down flap + bookcase top section

The old secretary in the study has a locked drawer where Grandfather kept letters.

Common collocations
  • antique secretary
  • Victorian secretary
  • mahogany secretary
  • secretary desk
  • drop-front secretary
  • writing secretary
Synonyms
  • escritoire

    a French-derived term for a similar writing desk, often more ornate

  • secretary desk

    the fuller two-word name for this piece of furniture

  • bureau

    a broader term that can include writing desks, but also refers to chests of drawers

Usage Note

Also called a secretary desk or escritoire. This meaning is uncommon in everyday conversation and appears mostly in discussions of antique furniture. You may also see the French term 'secrétaire' used in furniture catalogues.

Word family

  • secretarial
    adjectiveB2
  • secretariat
    nounC1
  • secretarially
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Secretary, administrative assistant, assistant, clerk, and receptionist all refer to office support roles, but the scope and setting differ. A secretary typically handles correspondence, scheduling, and record-keeping for a manager or team. An administrative assistant is a more formal and modern term, often used in corporate settings for a wider range of office-management duties. An assistant (or personal assistant) may take on personal errands and direct project support beyond what a secretary normally does. A clerk focuses mainly on filing, data entry, and routine paperwork, while a receptionist greets visitors and answers calls at the front desk. For example, 'The legal secretary prepared the contract' would not work with 'clerk' because a clerk's duties are narrower, but 'administrative assistant' could replace 'secretary' in most contexts with only a shift in formality.

administrative assistantassistant ↗clerk ↗receptionist ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • executive secretary
  • honorary secretary
  • private secretary
  • assistant secretary
  • deputy secretary

Phrases

  • secretary's office
  • secretary's report
  • secretary's desk

Prepositions

  • secretary of
  • secretary to
  • secretary for

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word secretary comes from the Latin secretarius, meaning a confidential officer or scribe, which in turn comes from secretum (secret), from the verb secernere (to separate or set apart). The original sense was 'a person entrusted with secrets.' Over time it evolved to mean a record-keeper, then an administrative officer. English borrowed it through Old French secrétaire. The furniture sense (a writing desk) arose in the 18th century, named after the piece of furniture typically used by a secretary.