trade secret

American  

noun

1. a secret process, technique, method, etc., used to advantage in a trade, business, profession, etc.

---

trade secret British  

noun

1. a secret formula, technique, process, etc, known and used to advantage by only one manufacturer

---

Etymology

Origin of trade secret

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade secret

OpenAI filed a legal response asserting that Apple filed a baseless trade secret theft lawsuit to hamper OpenAI’s recruiting and stall its AI work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 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

Actor Samuel L. Jackson revealed a trade secret from Bruce Willis that the actor says kept him sane during his five-decade career in Hollywood.

From Salon ● Mar. 20, 2025

The fee varies from industry to industry, and the fees that the largest merchants pay are typically a closely guarded trade secret.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 5, 2024

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 William E. Dodd