foreign minister: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
B2Formal, political, journalistic, academic
Quick answer
What does “foreign minister” mean?
The senior government official in charge of a nation's international relations and diplomacy.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The senior government official in charge of a nation's international relations and diplomacy.
The cabinet-level position responsible for managing a country's foreign policy, diplomatic missions, and interactions with other nations and international organisations. In some systems, this role is equivalent to 'Secretary of State' (e.g., US) or simply 'Minister for Foreign Affairs'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
In the UK, the official title is 'Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs', often shortened in media to 'Foreign Secretary'. 'Foreign Minister' is less common in official UK use but is widely understood. In the US, the equivalent is the 'Secretary of State'; 'Foreign Minister' is rarely used domestically but is used to refer to counterparts in other nations. 'Foreign Minister' is the most common generic term in international English.
Connotations
In a UK context, using 'Foreign Minister' instead of 'Foreign Secretary' can sound slightly foreign or overly generic. In an American context, 'Foreign Minister' exclusively describes foreign officials, never the US Secretary of State.
Frequency
'Foreign Minister' is of high frequency in international news and diplomacy reporting worldwide. Frequency is medium in UK-specific news (where 'Foreign Secretary' is preferred). Frequency is low in US domestic news but high in US international reporting.
Grammar
How to Use “foreign minister” in a Sentence
The Foreign Minister [verb, e.g., met, said, announced] that...The Foreign Minister of [Country]to appoint someone as Foreign Ministertalks between the Foreign Ministers of X and YVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “foreign minister” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The PM may soon foreign-minister the talks if the Secretary is unavailable. (Very rare, informal/non-standard)
American English
- He spent his career effectively foreign-ministering various crises. (Figurative, non-standard)
adverb
British English
- He spoke foreign-ministerly, with great caution. (Rare, non-standard)
American English
- She acted foreign-minister-like during the negotiations. (Non-standard)
adjective
British English
- She has foreign-minister-level experience in diplomacy. (Attributive use)
- The foreign-minister talks were held in private.
American English
- He delivered a foreign-minister-quality address. (Attributive use)
- It was a foreign-minister meeting of great importance.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rare, unless discussing government relations. Example: 'The new policy requires approval from the foreign minister's office.'
Academic
Common in political science, international relations, and history texts. Example: 'The foreign minister's role evolved significantly in the 20th century.'
Everyday
Used in news consumption and general discussion of world events. Example: 'Did you hear what the German foreign minister said about the crisis?'
Technical
Used in legal and diplomatic documents, treaties, and official communications. Example: 'The agreement was signed by the respective foreign ministers.'
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “foreign minister”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “foreign minister”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “foreign minister”
- Using 'The Foreign Minister' without 'the' when referring to a specific person (e.g., 'Foreign Minister will visit' is incorrect).
- Capitalising every word when not using it as a formal title preceding a name (e.g., 'The foreign minister spoke' vs. 'Foreign Minister Lavrov spoke').
- Confusing it with 'Minister of the Interior' or 'Defence Minister'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A foreign minister is a senior cabinet member in their home country's government, responsible for all foreign policy. An ambassador is a diplomat who represents their country in one specific foreign nation or at an international organisation, and they typically report to the foreign minister.
It's a historical title convention. In the UK, senior cabinet ministers heading major departments are called 'Secretaries of State'. The full title is 'Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs', shortened to 'Foreign Secretary'.
Yes, absolutely. The term 'minister' is gender-neutral. A woman holding the position would be referred to as 'the foreign minister' or by her specific title (e.g., 'Foreign Secretary'). Examples include Annalena Baerbock of Germany and Penny Wong of Australia.
Formally, as 'Minister' (e.g., 'Thank you, Minister') or by their specific title (e.g., 'Mr. Secretary', 'Madam Secretary'). In writing, the formal salutation is 'Your Excellency' or simply 'Dear Minister'.
The senior government official in charge of a nation's international relations and diplomacy.
Foreign minister is usually formal, political, journalistic, academic in register.
Foreign minister: in British English it is pronounced /ˌfɒr.ɪn ˈmɪn.ɪ.stər/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌfɔːr.ən ˈmɪn.ə.stɚ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A phone call from the foreign minister (implies urgent/high-level diplomatic contact).”
- “To do a foreign minister's job (informal, meaning to handle complex diplomatic tasks).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: FOREIGN relations are MINISTERed (managed) by this person.
Conceptual Metaphor
The foreign minister is often metaphorically described as the 'face' or 'voice' of the country abroad, or a 'bridge-builder' between nations.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is a direct synonym for 'Foreign Minister' in the context of the United States government?