Words / A2

SEEKR-uh-t/ˈsiːkrət/

A secret is something you do not tell other people: keep a secret, a family secret, tell someone a secret. Secret is also an adjective: a secret door, secret information. Private is “not for the public”; secret is “hidden on purpose.” Secrecy is the uncountable noun. Do not say “a secret to me” for something you do not know — say it is a secret from me, or I do not know the secret.

Meaning

Something that you do not tell other people.

Examples

• “Please keep this secret until Friday.”
• “Can you keep a secret until her birthday?”
• “They held a secret meeting after work.”

Good to know

keep / tell a secret. Adjective: a secret + noun. Contrast: private = not public.

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