1
a
: kept from knowledge or view : hidden
b
: marked by the habit of discretion : closemouthed
c
: working with hidden aims or methods : undercover
a secret agent
d
: not acknowledged : unavowed
a secret bride
e
: conducted in secret
a secret trial
2
: remote from human frequentation or notice : secluded
3
: revealed only to the initiated : esoteric
4
: designed to elude observation or detection
a secret panel
5
: containing information whose unauthorized disclosure could endanger national security compare confidential, top secret
secretly
adverb
1
a
: something kept hidden or unexplained : mystery
b
: something kept from the knowledge of others or shared only confidentially with a few
c
: a method, formula, or process used in an art or operation and divulged only to those of one's own company or craft : trade secret
d
secrets plural
: the practices or knowledge making up the shared discipline or culture of an esoteric society
2
: a prayer traditionally said inaudibly by the celebrant just before the preface of the mass
3
: something taken to be a specific or key to a desired end
the secret of longevity
Examples of secret in a Sentence
Adjective
Her secret wish is to become a senator.
The message was written in secret code.
I don't know the secret password.
He was sent on a secret mission.
They engaged in secret negotiations with the enemy.
She tried to keep her marriage secret.
They've been very secret about their plans.
Noun
Don't tell him about the party—it's a secret.
I'm going to tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else.
You always look great. What's your secret?
She shared her beauty secrets with the group.
The secret to a good sauce is the base.
the secrets of the universe
one of nature's greatest secrets
Recent Examples on the Web
Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2025
As a shopping writer, the Amazon Outlet is my secret weapon for finding the best deals this fall.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
That the sense of risk which accompanies making a film is so much steeper than the one that goes with writing seems, as professional secrets go, disconcertingly well-known.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secret
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Adjective
The secret concert marked the final stop on Rodrigo’s Guts World Tour, which kicked off in early 2024 in Palm Springs and has since spanned over 75 dates across North America and Europe.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 25 Oct. 2025
As a shopping writer, the Amazon Outlet is my secret weapon for finding the best deals this fall.
—Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
In a fit of fury, Canio vows to discover his wife Nedda’s secret and take revenge.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
That the sense of risk which accompanies making a film is so much steeper than the one that goes with writing seems, as professional secrets go, disconcertingly well-known.
—Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for secret
Cite this Entry
“Secret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secret. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
secret
1 of 2 adjective
se·cret
ˈsē-krət 
1
a
: hidden or kept from knowledge or view
b
: working in secret as a spy or detective : undercover
a secret agent
2
: secluded sense 1
a secret valley
secretly
adverb
secret
2 of 2 noun1
a
: something that cannot be explained : mystery
b
: something kept from the knowledge of others or shared only privately with a few
2
: something taken to be necessary to gain a desired end
the secret of a long life
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