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

Etymology

Origin of secret service

First recorded in 1730–40

Example Sentences

Secret Service sealed off the room, the pair took the stage to announce that a state-backed Emirati investment firm would use USD1 to buy a $2 billion stake in Binance.

From The Wall Street Journal

The next day, a convoy of Army and Marine Huey helicopters flew the president, the governor, several senators, the Secret Service, and many reporters up and down the area that used to be forest and now was bare wasteland.

From Literature

DHS is also a sprawling department encompassing multiple agencies, including ICE, the Coast Guard, Secret Service and Customs and Border Protection.

From BBC

The crew at times had to navigate around Secret Service security and safety concerns, according to a person who was close to the filming.

From The Wall Street Journal

UFC production chief Craig Borsari has already visited the White House five times to get the lay of the land and is in contact with the Secret Service.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• secret police