privy
Americanadjective
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participating in the knowledge of something private or secret (usually followed byto ).
Many persons were privy to the plot.
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private; assigned to private uses.
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belonging or pertaining to some particular person, especially with reference to a sovereign.
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secret, concealed, hidden, or secluded.
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acting or done in secret.
noun
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Law. a person participating directly in or having a derivative interest in a legal transaction.
adjective
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participating in the knowledge of something secret
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archaic secret, hidden, etc
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archaic of or relating to one person only
noun
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a lavatory, esp an outside one
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law a person in privity with another See privity
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of privy
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English prive, from Old French: “private” (adjective), “close friend, private place” (noun), from Latin prīvātus private
Explanation
If you're privy to something, you've been let in on a secret or know about something that most people don't. Not many people are privy to what those top secret documents are all about, for example. The adjective privy comes from the Latin privatus, meaning “private,” and describes someone who has knowledge of secret or confidential information. But watch out: If you use privy as a noun, it can mean “outhouse” or “toilet,” which actually might be a good place to hide your diary if you don't want anyone else to be privy to its contents.
Vocabulary lists containing privy
The Great Gatsby
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"The Great Gatsby," Chapter 1 Vocabulary
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Their Eyes Were Watching God
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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.
The Privy Purse is a source of private income for the ruling monarch.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
"I have this afternoon issued a letter signed by Jeffrey Donaldson to the Privy Council office tendering his resignation from the privy council with immediate effect," the statement continued.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2026
Senior politicians who attend the Privy Council will see the monarch on a regular basis.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025
In July 2009, he was appointed as a member of the Privy Council, with his full title becoming The Rt Hon Lord Paul of Marylebone PC.
From BBC • Aug. 22, 2025
Parkinson was hauled before the Privy Council for questioning and came within an ace of being dispatched in irons to Australia before the charges against him were quietly dropped.
From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
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.
