1
as in confidential
not known or meant to be known by the general populace
that he is planning to retire is private information until he makes a public announcement
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
a private investigation of the organization's activities
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in personal
of, relating to, or belonging to a single person
club lockers in which private property may be stored
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Examples of private in a Sentence
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Recent Examples on the Web
Organizations must efficiently and securely connect varied data systems, including SaaS, IaaS, private clouds and data lakes and warehouses, while preserving vital metadata and safeguarding sensitive content.
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Rehan Jalil, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Between the lines: Many U.S. newspapers that used to be independent or family-owned now belong to large newspaper groups whose owners, often hedge funds or private equity groups, have decided to pull the plug on endorsements.
—Noah Bressner, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Liberty Elementary board president under fire for private comments
Parks drew criticism this fall after private statements were leaked on a closed Facebook group for Liberty Elementary community members.
—Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
In addition to his 20% stake in Kushner Companies, Jared owns nascent private equity firm Affinity Partners, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund—enough to be worth at least $900 million, according to Forbes estimates.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private 
Rehan Jalil, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024
Between the lines: Many U.S. newspapers that used to be independent or family-owned now belong to large newspaper groups whose owners, often hedge funds or private equity groups, have decided to pull the plug on endorsements.
—Noah Bressner, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024
Liberty Elementary board president under fire for private comments
Parks drew criticism this fall after private statements were leaked on a closed Facebook group for Liberty Elementary community members.
—Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Nov. 2024
In addition to his 20% stake in Kushner Companies, Jared owns nascent private equity firm Affinity Partners, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund—enough to be worth at least $900 million, according to Forbes estimates.
—Monica Hunter-Hart, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for private
Recent Examples of Synonyms for private
Adjective
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Adrian Fontes, the secretary of state of Arizona, says that confidential reports from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have convinced him that malicious foreign-influence operations are accelerating this year.Barton Gellman, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024
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Under its terms, the nation’s largest retailer will be required to pay penalties for allegedly dumping in state landfills nearly 80 tons of hazardous waste and confidential customer information from its stores throughout the state.Jasmine Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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Israel has a long history of conducting brazen spy operations abroad, including in Iran, where such clandestine activities have been linked to acts of sabotage against nuclear facilities and the assassinations of nuclear scientists.David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
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Many of those missing are buried in clandestine graves all across the country.Geraldine Castro, WIRED, 1 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Incumbent Brentwood Mayor Joel Bryant did not seek reelection due to personal reasons.Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
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Donald Trump sometimes talked up his personal connection with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the campaign trail.Jennifer Jett, NBC News, 7 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The movie shows Carville on his daily round of calls with his secret Democratic think tank of smart, connected journalists and operatives who have been talking every day since the early ’90s.Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 5 Nov. 2024
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But the secret chestnut-cocoa Labubu — there’s only one in every 72 boxes — has eluded them.Andrea Chang, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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Philippi was arrested on Nov. 2 by undercover agents acting as co-conspirators who had agreed to be lookouts.Patrick Smith, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
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Skyler Philippi, of Columbia, Tenn., spent months in communication with undercover federal agents, planning a drone explosion that would have left thousands without power days before the general election.Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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It is feared that inside some of the vehicles that were washed away or trapped in underground garages there could be bodies waiting to be recovered.Hernán Muñoz and Joseph Wilson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
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The following day, Dark X listed the data, including alleged emails, addresses, phone numbers, and partial credit card numbers, for sale on an underground forum.Joseph Cox, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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The palate of a fine scotch whisky can bring to mind many things: chocolate, spice, campfire, leather, fruit, and vanilla are just a few of the different, and completely subjective, tasting notes that are often used.Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024
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Taste is subjective, and USA TODAY Books has plenty of genres to recommend.Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 29 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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The covert meeting concerned Musk’s growing AI startup xAI, according to the Greater Memphis Chamber, an economic development group that had been steering the deal behind closed doors since March.Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
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Officials in Russia, China, Iran and Cuba all deny their governments are trying to interfere with or influence the U.S. election through covert information operations.Dan De Luce, NBC News, 8 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Private.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/private. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.
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