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• secret service
  secret service

  noun

  the branch of governmental service that conducts secret investigations, especially investigations into the military strength of other nations.
• Secret Service
  Secret Service

  noun

  a US government agency responsible for the protection of the president, the suppression of counterfeiting, and certain other police activities

secret service

American  

noun

1. the branch of governmental service that conducts secret investigations, especially investigations into the military strength of other nations.

2. (initial capital letters) the branch of the U.S. Department of the Treasury charged chiefly with the discovery and apprehension of counterfeiters and with providing protection for the president and the president's immediate family.

3. secret work for a government, especially espionage.

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Secret Service ¹ British  

noun

1. a US government agency responsible for the protection of the president, the suppression of counterfeiting, and certain other police activities

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secret service ² British  

noun

1. a government agency or department that conducts intelligence or counterintelligence operations

2. such operations

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Secret Service Cultural  

1. A division of the United States Department of the Treasury, responsible for apprehending counterfeiters; investigating a variety of federal crimes; and protecting presidents and their families, presidential candidates, and foreign dignitaries visiting the United States.

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Other Word Forms

• secret-service
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of secret service

First recorded in 1730–40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

secret service Secret Service

Jäger is overseeing the BND’s transformation from a pure information-gathering and analysis outfit into a harder-hitting secret service with expanded powers, including the ability to strike back following cyberattacks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

"Anything we released to the American public will also be known by the Russian secret service, Chinese government, and adversaries," Appel pointed out.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

For decades, the Cuban secret service, trained during the Soviet era by the KGB, enjoyed a reputation for invincibility.

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

“As far as I can tell, a crazy person tried to break in by hammering the windows. I’m grateful to the secret service and the Cincinnati police for responding quickly.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 5, 2026

If she squinted, she could almost pretend they were secret service and she was the president.

From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray

Trump said at the Oval Office on Wednesday that Secret Service officials first suggested the idea of using the golf club as a presidential retreat, and that he thinks it is "a great idea".

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Politico reported that one of its journalists had a credential confiscated by Secret Service.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026

Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the Secret Service cannot deny a White House press pass absent “narrow and specific standards by which applications are to be judged.”

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

Devices can sit undetected on a payment terminal for a year, said Vincent Porter, a Secret Service financial analyst, noting a single skimmer can compromise thousands of cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

But still, since moving to Washington at the age of ten, she’d never once ridden a bus or the Metro or been driven by someone who didn’t work for the Secret Service.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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Related Words

• secret police

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