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Synonyms

covertly

American  
[koh-vert-lee, koh-vert-] / ˈkoʊ vərt li, koʊˈvərt- /

adverb

  1. in a way that is concealed or disguised; secretly.

    The witness alleges that the FBI asked him to covertly record conversations with his boss in a bid to tie him to a criminal hacking conspiracy.

Etymology

Origin of covertly

covert ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Covertly filming women on nights out to upload the videos to social media should be made illegal, the Liberal Democrats have said.

From BBC • Feb. 10, 2026

Covertly, he continued to work after hours at the Cavendish on the “helical” structure of DNA.

From The Guardian • May 9, 2016

Covertly packing 30,000 of the books into 102 wooden crates, Mr. Tsien labeled them, on the agent’s advice, as new books purchased by the Library of Congress.

From New York Times • Apr. 19, 2015

Covertly he tried to persuade other Wampanoag that he could better protect them against the Narragansett than Massasoit.

From Slate • Nov. 23, 2013

Covertly, she studied the girls at the long table.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.