foreign service

noun

: the field force of a foreign office comprising diplomatic and consular personnel

Examples of foreign service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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There are no international credit card transactions keeping its economy churning, and no foreign services like Netflix, Uber or Amazon that get disrupted in an international internet shutdown. Lauren Kent, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026 The recall comes after more than 1,300 officials and more than 240 foreign service officers were laid off earlier this year as part of what the administration said was a major reorganization aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing government size. Mariam Khan, ABC News, 22 Dec. 2025 Trump has issued numerous executive orders dismantling DEI initiatives in federal agencies, the foreign service, federal contracts and more. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 11 Dec. 2025 Later, Higgins worked as a Peace Corps director in Belize before becoming a foreign service officer at the State Department from 2009 to 2012, serving as a staff aide to the ambassador to Mexico, and economic and energy officer for South Africa and Namibia. Solcyré Burga, Time, 10 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for foreign service

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foreign service was in 1799

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Cite this Entry

“Foreign service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreign%20service. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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