covertly

American  

[koh-vert-lee, koh-vert-] / ˈkoʊ vərt li, koʊˈvərt- /

adverb

1. in a way that is concealed or disguised; secretly.

   The witness alleges that the FBI asked him to covertly record conversations with his boss in a bid to tie him to a criminal hacking conspiracy.

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Etymology

Origin of covertly

covert ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Especially for Jay, whose subplot concerns his desire for a musical career apart from this partnership, and includes him covertly planning to perform at an open-mic event in far-off Ottawa.

From The Wall Street Journal

It also relied on a transcript of a recording her ex had covertly made of the encounter on his mobile phone.

From BBC

When the two appear in court on Wednesday, police will allege they worked with a Chinese national charged last August for covertly gathering information on the Guan Yin Citta Buddhist group in Australia's capital, Canberra.

From Barron's

I speak, of course, of the, uh, rising Winter Olympic panic that male ski jumpers, hoping to improve aerodynamics and, um, lengthen their jumps, may be covertly:

From The Wall Street Journal

Previously, they would have chosen to deal with them covertly, suggesting a greater determination to publicise the espionage threat from China.

From BBC

Related Words

• clandestinely
• secretly
• surreptitiously