Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - secretary

(secretaries) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. A secretary is a person who is employed to do office work, such as typing letters, answering phone calls, and arranging meetings. N-COUNT 2. The secretary of an organization such as a trade union, a political party, or a club is its official manager. (BRIT) My grandfather was secretary of the Scottish Miners’ Union. N-COUNT 3. The secretary of a company is the person who has the legal duty of keeping the company’s records. N-COUNT 4. Secretary is used in the titles of ministers and officials who are in charge of main government departments. ...the British Foreign Secretary. ...Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger. N-COUNT; N-TITLE