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• stealth
  stealth

  noun

  secret, clandestine, or surreptitious procedure.
• Stealth
  Stealth

  noun

  (modifier) denoting or referring to technology that aims to reduce the radar, thermal, and acoustic recognizability of aircraft and missiles

stealth

American  

[stelth] / stɛlθ /

noun

1. secret, clandestine, or surreptitious procedure.

2. a furtive departure or entrance.

3. Obsolete.

   1. an act of stealing; theft.

   2. the thing stolen; booty.

4. Military. Stealth, a U.S. Air Force project involving a range of technologies, with the purpose of developing aircraft that are difficult to detect by sight, sound, radar, and infrared energy.

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adjective

1. not openly acknowledged; surreptitious; secret.

   They used underhand methods such as the stealth hiring of a competitor's CEO.

   Spending cuts are the stealth issue of this presidential race.

2. (of a transgender person) living as a cisgender member of one's identified gender, without revealing that one is transgender.

   For some transgender people, being stealth may be the safest option.

stealth ¹ British  

/ stɛlθ /

noun

1. the act or characteristic of moving with extreme care and quietness, esp so as to avoid detection

   the stealth of a cat

2. cunning or underhand procedure or dealing

3. archaic the act of stealing

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Stealth ² British  

/ stɛlθ /

noun

1. informal (modifier) denoting or referring to technology that aims to reduce the radar, thermal, and acoustic recognizability of aircraft and missiles

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Usage

What does stealth mean? Stealth is a specific way of acting or moving that is intended to be secret or of avoiding detection, as in The cat used its stealth to sneak up on the unsuspecting mouse. Stealth is also used to describe something that is secret or is trying to avoid detection, as in The thieves organized a stealth meeting, away from the watchful eyes of the detectives. The adjectives stealthful and stealthy are used to describe something that uses stealth, as in The stealthy fox managed to avoid getting caught by the farmer’s dogs. Stealthily and stealthfully are used to describe something done with stealth, as in Santa Claus stealthily slipped the Christmas presents into the stockings to avoid waking the children.  Example: The spy used cunning and stealth to sneak into the embassy and smuggle out the documents. 

Other Word Forms

• stealthful
  adjective
• stealthfully
  adverb
• stealthless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of stealth

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English stelthe, stelth; compare Old English stælthing “theft”; see steal, -th ¹

Explanation

Stealth means sneakiness. When you do something with stealth, you do it so quietly and carefully that no one notices. You might admire the stealth of your cat when she sneaks up on a mouse. Stealth and steal come from the same root word and were once used to mean the same thing. While stealth remains a useful quality for stealing, its definition has evolved to describe anything done quietly or in secret. For example, a stealth bomber is an aircraft that's hard to detect by radar, so it can sneak up without being noticed. Or if you plan a birthday party by stealth, then the guest of honor will be pleasantly surprised.

Example Sentences

Overview emerged from stealth in late 2025 after raising $20 million from investors, according to Heatmap.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026

This stealth recovery, though, isn’t because of tariffs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

Quiet luxury, or stealth wealth, rose in popularity in the 2020s, but has long been the hallmark of Viking’s sleek, minimalistic ships, shaping everything from amenities to excursions.

From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026

In 1999, the pilot of an F-117 stealth fighter shot down over Serbia was found and recovered by parescuemen.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

He corrects the error in stealth, not bothering to explain to Jonathan and Brandon what he’s so busy doing all day, and then suddenly it is over.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri