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Glite Dictionary
Secretary of Commerce

Secretary of Commerce

71 4.6
A government official who leads the United States department that promotes trade and industry
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛkrəˌtɛri əv ˈkɒmɜrs/
  • Formal
translation icon : secretario de comercio (EE. UU.)
  • Secretary of Commerce, Yvonne Boyer.
  • former Secretary of Commerce
  • Deputy Secretary of Commerce

The other day, did you hear the quote from whoever the person is that former president nominated to be secretary of Commerce?

Examples

  • Oh, Charlie, first I want you to meet the Secretary of Commerce.

    Monster-in-Law (2005)

  • Kent H. Hughes is the Associate Deputy Secretary of Commerce.

    Academic text (1995)

  • Ron Brown, the Secretary of Commerce, plays a major role in U.S. trade policies toward South Africa.

    Academic text (1994)

  • And wow, look at your secretary of commerce, Wilbur Ross.

  • He's the Secretary of Commerce, old golfing buddy.

    The Aviator (2004)

  • Establish by executive order that henceforth the primary mission of the Secretary of Commerce is to promote the nation's competitiveness.

    Academic text (1992)

  • The Secretary of Commerce announced new policies to boost small businesses.

  • As the Secretary of Commerce, she plays a crucial role in shaping trade agreements.

  • The President met with the Secretary of Commerce to discuss economic recovery strategies.

Synonyms

Commerce Secretary
vsSecretary of Commerce
  • US
13 4.2

A government official who leads the United States Department of Commerce

means the same but uses the longer official title word order in formal contexts

Surface Forms

Secretary of Commerce singular
Secretaries of Commerce plural

Morphology

secretary + of + Commerce

The meaning 'the head of the Department of Commerce' is directly derivable from 'secretary' (a senior official) combined with 'of Commerce' specifying the domain/department; the title follows a regular 'X of Y' composition. This is a common cross-linguistic pattern for government offices (e.g. 'Minister of Finance'), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Secretary of Commerce comes from combining secretary, a senior official who runs an office and keeps records, and commerce, meaning 'trade' and business. So the Secretary of Commerce is the government 'head' who looks after the country's trade and businesses.