secret
Noun pluralsecrets
Pluralsecrets
Formssecrets
- 1Kept hidden from other people so they do not know about it.
Like hiding a gift in the closet so no one sees it.
They had a secret plan to surprise their mom on her birthday.
She kept the letter secret so nobody would find it.
UsageYou keep something secret from someone.
Similarconfidential, private, hidden, covert, clandestine
Oppositepublic, open, known, overt
Note
- 2A piece of information you keep hidden so other people do not find out.
Like a note you fold up and hide so no one else can read it.
She told me a secret and made me promise not to tell.
He is very good at keeping a secret.
UsageYou keep a secret or tell a secret.
Similarconfidence
Note
- 3
- 4
- 5A private state of being alone and away from other people, where no one can see you.
He likes to pray in secret, alone in his room with the door shut.
She practiced the song in secret down in the basement, where nobody could hear her.
UsageSay in secret.
Similarsecrecy, private, privacy, seclusion
Oppositepublic
Note
Less common meanings
- 6
- 7An old, gentle word for the private parts of the body.
Note
- 8Kept away from other people and living quietly out of sight.
secret in her sapphire cell
1716, Elijah Fenton, an ode to the Right Honourable John Lord GowerHere, secret means hidden away, living quietly out of sight."He was a secret man, Alexander—a secret, silent man," he continued.
1886, Robert Louis Stevenson, “I Make Acquaintance of My Uncle”Here, secret means quiet and private, keeping to himself.Note
- 9Able to keep a secret and not likely to tell other people's private things.
What neede we any ſpurre, but our owne cauſe / To pricke vs to redreſſe? What other Bond / Than ſecret Romans, that haue ſpoke the Word, / And will not palter?
1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar”Here, secret means able to keep a secret and not tell others.Note
- 10Kept apart from others and not joined together.
They suppose two other divine hypostases superior thereunto, which were perfectly secret from matter.
1678, Ralph Cudworth, The True Intellectual System of the UniverseHere, secret means kept apart, not joined with matter.Note
- 11A prayer said quietly, so others cannot hear it, during a church service.
- 12A small steel cap worn under a hat to protect the head in battle.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origins
The noun comes from Latin sēcrētum, through Middle English. The verb comes from the noun.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The noun derives from Latin sēcrētum through Middle English. en.wiktionary.org
- The verb derives from the noun. en.wiktionary.org
From Latin sēcrētus, meaning "separated" or "hidden", which came into English through Old French.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Secret derives from Latin sēcrētus through Old French. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin sēcrētus means "separated" or "hidden". en.wiktionary.org