- a person, usually an official, who is in charge of the records, correspondence, minutes of meetings, and related affairs of an organization, company, association, etc.: the secretary of the Linguistic Society of America.
- a person employed to handle correspondence and do routine work in a business office, usually involving taking dictation, typing, filing, and the like.
- private secretary.
- an officer of state charged with the superintendence and management of a particular department of government, as a member of the president's cabinet in the U.S.: Secretary of the Treasury.
- a diplomatic official of an embassy or legation who ranks below a counselor and is usually assigned as first secretary, second secretary, or third secretary.
- a piece of furniture for use as a writing desk.
- a desk with bookshelves on top of it.
- a person who handles correspondence, keeps records, and does general clerical work for an individual, organization, etc
- the official manager of the day-to-day business of a society or board
- (in Britain) a senior civil servant who assists a government minister
- (in the US and New Zealand) the head of a government administrative department
- (in Britain) See secretary of state (def. 1)
- (in Australia) the head of a public service department
- the assistant to an ambassador or diplomatic minister of certain countries
- another name for secretaire
