private

[ prahy-vit ]

/ ˈpraɪ vɪt /

See synonyms for: private / privately / privateness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

solitary; secluded: He wants to meet us in a more private place.

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.

noun

a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.

privates. private parts.

SYNONYMS FOR private

2 singular, particular, peculiar.

10 sequestered, retired.

See synonyms for private on Thesaurus.com

ANTONYMS FOR private

2 general, public.

See antonyms for private on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms for private

in private, not publicly; secretly: The hearing will be conducted in private.

Origin of private

1350–1400; Middle English <Latin prīvātus private, literally, taken away (from public affairs), special use of past participle of prīvāre to rob. See deprive, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM private

pri·vate·ly, adverbpri·vate·ness, nounquasi-private, adjectivequa·si-pri·vate·ly, adverb

un·pri·vate, adjectiveun·pri·vate·ly, adverbun·pri·vate·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for private

But less than two days later, Iranian media outlets reported on funerals held for privates killed in the incident.
Iran Says It’s Under Attack by ISIS|Jassem Al Salami|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the other hand the robot can replace at least three privates, and the average income in South Korea is $35,400 a year.
Smoke Rings, Mystery Backpacks and Gun-Toting Robots: The Weird Wartech of the Korean Conflict|Kyle Mizokami|April 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Because the mayor sent no pics of his privates and was nothing but a “perfect gentleman.”
Lynsie Lee Isn’t a Vegan and Other Fun Facts About the Stripper Tweeting Cory Booker|Winston Ross|September 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Orders flow down from the Commander in Chief through to the Privates, and activity and reporting flows up.
What Peter Beinart Gets Wrong About Chabad|David Werdiger|July 1, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Anthony Weiner launched his mayoral candidacy with an apology tour for sending pictures of his privates out over Twitter.
Anthony Weiner Stands By Claim That West Bank Isn't Occupied By Israel|Ali Gharib|June 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Officers were shouting commands, and privates were carrying them out to the best of their ability.
Air Service Boys in the Big Battle|Charles Amory Beach
Lieutenant Carrol leaped to the ground, and one of the privates took charge of his steed.
Boys of The Fort|Ralph Bonehill
We and the privates were soon marched to a large house, having a partition for the officers.
A History of the Ninth Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry|Marion Morrison
Who were the lieutenants, and who were any of these privates, captains, and sergeants?
The Story of The American Legion|George Seay Wheat
Two of the privates rode up close, one on either side, and the other kept immediately behind.
The Guns of Shiloh|Joseph A. Altsheler

British Dictionary definitions for private

private

/ (ˈpraɪvɪt) /

adjective

not widely or publicly knownthey had private reasons for the decision

confidential; secreta private conversation

not for general or public usea private bathroom

(prenominal) individual; specialmy own private recipe

(prenominal) having no public office, rank, etca private man

(prenominal) denoting a soldier of the lowest military ranka private soldier

of, relating to, or provided by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public bodythe private sector; private housing

(of a place) retired; sequestered; not overlooked

(of a person) reserved; uncommunicative

in private in secret; confidentially

noun

a soldier of the lowest rank, sometimes separated into qualification grades, in many armies and marine corpsprivate first class

Derived forms of private

privately, adverb

Word Origin for private

C14: from Latin prīvātus belonging to one individual, withdrawn from public life, from prīvāre to deprive, bereave

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

Idioms and Phrases with private

private

In addition to the idiom beginning with private

private eye

also see:

free (private) enterprise
in private

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private

adjective

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Idioms for private

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OTHER WORDS FROM private

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British Dictionary definitions for private

adjective

noun

Derived forms of private

Word Origin for private

Idioms and Phrases with private

MEANINGS

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WORD OF THE DAY

private

adjective

noun

SYNONYMS FOR private

ANTONYMS FOR private

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Idioms for private

Origin of private

OTHER WORDS FROM private

Words related to private

Example sentences from the Web for private

British Dictionary definitions for private

adjective

noun

Derived forms of private

Word Origin for private

Idioms and Phrases with private