nondisclosure
Americannoun
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failure to disclose or share information when asked, expected, or legally required to do so.
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Business. the act, especially as obligated by contract, of refraining from disclosing or revealing sensitive or competitive information.
Explanation
Nondisclosure is not sharing important information. If someone sells their house and doesn't tell the buyer that the basement floods every times it rains, that's nondisclosure. Legally, nondisclosure means failing to reveal information that the law says you have to disclose. In a court case, attorneys must tell the opposing side basic details about the witnesses they plan to call. If they don't, they are guilty of nondisclosure. This word often appears in the phrase "nondisclosure agreement," which is a legal contract that guarantees the signer will keep certain information confidential — in other words, they promise not to disclose it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Collaborations between retailers and manufacturers are rarely discussed openly, and often subject to nondisclosure agreements, according to lawyers who spoke with MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Then, in October 2025, Hegseth’s team proposed nondisclosure agreements and broad, random polygraphs for more than 5,000 military, civilian and contractor personnel in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and Joint Staff.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
Ares Chief Executive Michael Arougheti said the firm’s investment pipeline is accelerating, with signed nondisclosure agreements up around 35%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Etta said in the documentary that Leto’s legal team allegedly contacted her and urged her to sign a nondisclosure agreement about her relationship with the actor, though she never did.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
It was a nondisclosure form stipulating that father and son would not tell anyone what had gone on inside the prison.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
