trade secret

noun

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

trade secret

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of trade secret¹

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

When Moore first entered the industry in the mid-2000s, he said his mentors habitually kept trade secrets.

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This week, the clash over Knock LA exploded into the legal system, with dueling lawsuits that allege copyright and trademark infringement, defamation and even theft of trade secrets.

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Chinese companies have engaged in serial intellectual property theft, brazenly stealing American companies’ trade secrets and illegally repackaging them for export at heavily subsidized prices.

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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.

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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.

Read more on Salon