covert meeting
- noun
- /ˈkoʊvɜrt ˈmiːtɪŋ/
- During the covert meeting, they exchanged sensitive information away from prying eyes.
Examples
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The organization's covert meeting was aimed at strategizing their next move without attracting attention.
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There are no "covert meetings" in hidden rooms where men discuss how to bury women.
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It was a covert meeting.
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The agents held a covert meeting to discuss their plans in secret.
Synonyms
A planned meeting between people, often romantic or secret
A secret meeting where people decide important things
A private meeting where people make important decisions away from the public
A private talk in which people make an agreement, often by politicians or business leaders
How Secret
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a secret or hidden gathering' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'covert' (secret/concealed) with 'meeting' (a planned gathering). This adjective+noun composition follows standard, cross-linguistically common patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
The phrase covert meeting comes from the image of people who are covert, meaning hidden, coming together to meet in back rooms or quiet places so no one sees them. So, it means 'a secret or hidden gathering'.