in private

Idioms  

1. Not in public; secretly, confidentially. For example, The hearings will be conducted in private, or May I speak to you in private? [Late 1500s] For an antonym, see in public.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

in private

So give Paxton some credit for admitting, at least in private, that the budget math doesn’t add up.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026

Colleagues describe him as a good listener who is personable in private meetings, and measured in his decision-making.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Gates, 51, worked in private practice before serving 10 years as the elected city attorney of Huntington Beach, winning elections in 2014, 2018 and 2022.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Parole Board hearings are usually held in private but they can be made public "in the interests of justice".

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

But her thoughts had become hopelessly tangled, and the only thing that she was certain of was that it would actually be easier to sort all of that out in private.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• covert
• enigmatic
• reticent
• taciturn