secret sauce

noun

1

: a sauce that adds an important element to a dish and that has ingredients which are typically kept secret

A frank of beef, pork, and veal … is split lengthwise, coated with secret sauce, and cooked on a grill.

—Jane and Michael Stern

called also special sauce

2

: an element, quality, ability, or practice that makes something or someone successful or distinctive

If leadership has a secret sauce, it may well be humility. A humble boss understands that there are things he doesn't know.

—The Economist

called also special sauce

Examples of secret sauce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Empathy Empathy is the secret sauce of omnichannel success. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025

Gabriel's ability to spread the ball and keep defenses guessing has been Oregon's secret sauce. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 1 Jan. 2025

Disney Experiences is in many ways the secret sauce for the company, the place where IP meets the real world, and where emotional memories are formed by fans. —Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Jan. 2025

They’re built to last, but the real secret sauce is the Baist liner, which Velcros into place inside the shell, providing a seamless, no fuss fit but also the opportunity to remove it and dry it separately at the end of the day. —The Editors, Outside Online, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 2