Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

secrete

1 American  
[si-kreet] / sɪˈkrit /

verb (used with object)

secreted, secreting

  1. to discharge, generate, or release by the process of secretion.

secrete 2 American  
[si-kreet] / sɪˈkrit /

verb (used with object)

secreted, secreting

  1. to place out of sight; hide; conceal.

    squirrels secreting nuts in a hollow tree trunk.
    Synonyms:
    disguise, shroud, cover
secrète 3 American  
[suh-kret] / səˈkrɛt /

noun

Armor.

  1. a steel skullcap of the 17th century, worn under a soft hat.

secrete 1 British  
/ sɪˈkriːt /

verb

  1. (tr) to put in a hiding place

"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
secrete 2 British  
/ sɪˈkriːt /

verb

  1. (of a cell, organ, etc) to synthesize and release (a secretion)

"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
secrete Scientific  
/ sĭ-krēt′ /

  1. To produce and discharge a substance, especially from the cells of specialized glands. For example, the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas secrete the hormone insulin.

Related Words

See hide 1.

Other Word Forms

  • secretor noun

Etymology

Origin of secrete1

First recorded in 1700–10; back formation from secretion

Origin of secrete2

1735–45; alteration of obsolete secret, verb use of secret

Origin of secrète3

From French; secret

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.

These creatures, more commonly known as violet snails, are distinguished by their striking purple shell and the delicate bubble raft they secrete to stay afloat in the open ocean.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 23, 2025

Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain 400 years ago for their meat, furry water-resistant pelts and a substance they secrete called castoreum - used in food, medicine and perfume.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2025

Her team pays attention to other stress markers, such as that they secrete mucus when biologically stressed.

From Salon • May 13, 2025

In particular, goblet cells -- cup-shaped cells that secrete mucus -- expressed those genes only in the presence of ILC2s, a kind of immune cell.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2024

“It’s true. Your glands will secrete a cocoon.”

From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull

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.