trade secret

American  

noun

1. a secret process, technique, method, etc., used to advantage in a trade, business, profession, etc.

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trade secret British  

noun

1. a secret formula, technique, process, etc, known and used to advantage by only one manufacturer

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Etymology

Origin of trade secret

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

The jury on Thursday found EDO liable for breach of contract but decided EDO wasn’t liable for claims of trade secret violations between 2019 to 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Intellectual property concerns have landed India on the 'Priority Watch List', for which the report cites weak patent protections and a lack of trade secret laws.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2025

Actor Samuel L. Jackson revealed a trade secret from Bruce Willis that the actor says kept him sane during his five-decade career in Hollywood.

From Salon • Mar. 20, 2025

Caitlin Vogus, the deputy director of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, has been dismayed by the judge’s suggestions that Google & Co. are experts in what’s a trade secret and what isn’t.

From Slate • Oct. 25, 2023

For the whereabouts of this El Dorado, and the way to it, was a trade secret most carefully kept by the Phoenician merchants of Cadiz, who alone held the clue.

From Early Britain—Roman Britain by Conybeare, Edward