private
belonging to some particular person: private property.
pertaining to or affecting a particular person or a small group of persons; individual; personal: for your private satisfaction.
confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential: a private meeting.
personal and not publicly expressed: one's private feelings.
not holding public office or employment: private citizens.
not of an official or public character; unrelated to one's official job or position: a former senator who has returned to private life;a college president speaking in his private capacity as a legal expert.
removed from or out of public view or knowledge; secret: private papers.
not open or accessible to the general public: a private beach.
undertaken individually or personally: private research.
without the presence of others; alone: Let's go into another room where we can be private.
preferring privacy; retiring: a very private person.
intimate; most personal: private behavior.
of, having, or receiving special hospital facilities, privileges, and services, especially a room of one's own and liberal visiting hours: a private room;a private patient.
of lowest military rank.
of, relating to, or coming from nongovernmental sources: private funding.
a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.
privates. private parts.
Idioms about private
in private, not publicly; secretly: The hearing will be conducted in private.
Origin of private
1Other words for private
2 | singular, particular, peculiar |
10 | sequestered, retired |
Opposites for private
Other words from private
- pri·vate·ly, adverb
- pri·vate·ness, noun
- quasi-private, adjective
- qua·si-pri·vate·ly, adverb
- un·pri·vate, adjective
- un·pri·vate·ly, adverb
- un·pri·vate·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use private in a sentence
For private events, crowd sizes are limited to 25 people, indoors and outside.
Virginia’s coronavirus numbers are rising. Here’s what you need to know. | Antonio Olivo | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostHe asked a private gym in New Jersey, but then the state announced travel restrictions.
For undrafted NFL rookies, the odds were even longer this year. Isaiah Wright made it anyway. | Sam Fortier | November 20, 2020 | Washington PostThe spirit of Mexico’s water laws mean proposals like Comice’s can’t promise the same kind of private financing WinWerks can.
Two Companies See a Golden Opportunity in the Tijuana River’s Brown Waters | MacKenzie Elmer | November 20, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoMy daughter’s small private school, which we loved, had given us the option of going virtual in light of the pandemic while still offering face-to-face learning to those who needed it.
Distance learning was a disaster. So I decided to teach my daughter myself. | Tracey Lewis-Giggetts | November 19, 2020 | Washington PostWith “The Missing American,” Quartey has launched a series with private investigator Emma Djan.
Best thriller and mystery books of 2020 | Maureen Corrigan, Richard Lipez | November 19, 2020 | Washington Post
But privately, it is listening to other theories, including those about an inside job.
FBI Won’t Stop Blaming North Korea for Sony Hack -- Despite New Evidence | Shane Harris | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTI learn by the third day to tell the nurse privately to make mine mostly orange juice.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days | David Freeman | December 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDonovan had been privately concerned that running statewide would hurt his standing back home.
Meet Dan Donovan, the Prosecutor Who Let Eric Garner’s Killer Walk | David Freedlander | December 5, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut privately, according to Trierweiler, Hollande slithered back and attempted to rekindle the mortally wounded relationship.
Hell Hath No Fury Like Valerie Trierweiler, the French President’s Ex | Lizzie Crocker | November 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDesigned for “special missions,” the privately owned company is capable of transporting precious cargo anywhere in the world.
The American Ebola Rescue Plan Hinges on One Company. Meet Phoenix. | Abby Haglage | November 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNeither privately owned nor government stock is entitled to voting power.
Readings in Money and Banking | Chester Arthur PhillipsMany gallants 'took' their tobacco in the lords room over the stage, and went out to (Saint) Paul's to spit there privately.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.However, he had not and could not see the Bishop privately long enough to secure from him a promise.
The Homesteader | Oscar MicheauxIf your intimacy will allow it, speak of the fault upon another occasion, kindly and privately, or let it pass.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence HartleyHe, at any rate, was not likely to have moved a finger against Bruce; on the contrary, he no doubt privately aided him.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. Murison
British Dictionary definitions for private
/ (ˈpraɪvɪt) /
not widely or publicly known: they had private reasons for the decision
confidential; secret: a private conversation
not for general or public use: a private bathroom
(prenominal) individual; special: my own private recipe
(prenominal) having no public office, rank, etc: a private man
(prenominal) denoting a soldier of the lowest military rank: a private soldier
of, relating to, or provided by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public body: the private sector; private housing
(of a place) retired; sequestered; not overlooked
(of a person) reserved; uncommunicative
in private in secret; confidentially
a soldier of the lowest rank, sometimes separated into qualification grades, in many armies and marine corps: private first class
Origin of private
1Derived forms of private
- privately, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with private
In addition to the idiom beginning with private
- private eye
also see:
- free (private) enterprise
- in private
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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