in secret
68
2.5
- idiom
- She wrote the letter in secret, hoping no one would find out about her feelings.
- work in secret
- do in secret
- meet in secret
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Watch on YouTubeAnd there's many in America where people meet sort of in secret just to speak.
- And there's many in America where people meet sort of in secret just to speak.
- It justifies its actions, most of which occur in secret, using euphemisms.
- So people had to do stuff in secret, you know, they, they outlawed the chanting.
- And so for the post production I was making it in secret.
- I should clarify, Intel has actually made their own laptops for years, just in secret.
- But in secret, when the sun comes up, everything will be burnt up.
- It's a, it's a sad position to be in where those who support you have to do so in secret.
- So the visits to my nutritionist turned into visits where the pediatric endocrinologist came to see me in secret.
- The British government was talking to the IOA for years in secret because they knew the conflict was going to come to an end at some point.
- And you can see that all they're doing is doing things in secret that Once Upon a time they were doing in the open before it became unacceptable.
Examples
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Thus, the kids get together here in secret after making an appointment during class breaks.
Fiction book (1996) -
He stole water from the community, using it to make moonshine in secret.
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Well, they just meet in secret, you know, they, they find places to be together.
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You speak in secret to the king.
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Your father made a deal with him in secret.
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There are good reasons for presidents to do things in secret.
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The perfect trade deal was one that was negotiated in secret and was never made public.
Academic text (2000) -
Groups of disaffected workers and others seeking reform continued to meet in secret, even at the risk of being arrested.
Academic text (2010) -
Three years ago, in secret, I started digging an underground tunnel from my workshop to my house.
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We agreed to meet Sentinel for his sensitive intel in secret, here in this cave.
Synonyms
374
6.3
Working secretly to get information about people and groups
247
1.4
In a way that other people do not know
224
4.3
In a secret way without someone knowing, often to hurt them
200
4.9
In a private way, away from the public view
179
3.2
In a way not shared with other people
77
4.1
In private and not open to the public
53
4.3
Happening in private and away from public view
31
6.0
Most people do not know about it
26
7.5
People keep it secret from most others to avoid being noticed
17
6.9
In a secret way so other people do not know
15
8.3
To do something secretly to avoid being noticed
11
4.4
In a private way so no one else knows
10
7.8
In a secret way so other people do not know
9
8.9
Kept secret and not told to other people
6
5.7
In a quiet, secret way to avoid being seen
3
8.0
In a secret way to avoid being seen or found
3
4.9
In a secret way so other people do not notice
2
9.9
In secret so other people do not know
1
8.6
In secret and quietly so nobody finds out
1
6.1
In a quiet way that hides what you do or think
1
9.9
Happening secretly to keep it private
1
9.5
In secret so only a few people know
Antonyms
How Secret
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'in a way that is hidden' is directly and compositionally derived from 'in' (indicating location/state) plus 'secret' (hidden), forming an adverbial phrase equivalent to 'secretly'. This is a common, regular pattern in English (and parallels exist in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily understand it.
Etymology
The phrase in secret evokes the picture of someone doing something behind a closed door or out of sight, with in showing they are inside and secret meaning a hidden place. So it means 'hidden' or 'secretly'.