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

A Taiwanese court sentenced a former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing employee to 10 years in prison for trade secret theft.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 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

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

Dorsey ruled that customer identities constitute a trade secret.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 9, 2023

The logical outcome of the trust was monopoly, and trusts appeared first in those industries in which there existed a predisposition to monopoly, an excessive loss through competition, or a controlling patent or trade secret.

From The New Nation by Dodd, William E.