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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
• stealthless
  adjective
• stealthfully
  adverb

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

See Examples For:

stealth Stealth

Fast forward a fortnight amid some very rapid and painful deleveraging, and the index now stands at 6813 after a stealth rally of 21%.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

The tri-national Global Combat Air Programme, launched in 2022, aims to develop a supersonic sixth-generation stealth fighter by 2035, replacing the Eurofighter Typhoon used by some European countries.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

The event featured a flyover by "some of the nation's most iconic fighter jets and stealth bombers", military bands, and a speech from the president.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

The Mogami-class frigate, built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, features a stealth design, advanced systems and a lean 90-person crew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 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

This year, Medtronic received FDA clearance for the new Stealth AXiS Spine External link application to brain surgery procedures.

From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026

Stealth mode helps users bypass censorship in restrictive regions, while DNS leak protection ensures third parties can’t track browsing history.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 2026

Stealth drones were also thought to have been deployed.

From BBC ● Jan. 9, 2026

Appeared in the October 28, 2025, print edition as 'New York’s Annual Stealth Tax Increase'.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2025

Stealth and secrecy would be the order of the day upon the other side of the river.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques