trade secret

American  

noun

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

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trade secret British  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of trade secret

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trade secret

His manager showed him the folder that contained the precious trade secret, before locking it away once more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 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

In the recent Amazon complaint from the Federal Trade Commission, Amazon’s ad revenue is currently redacted, a trade secret so big it blots out the sun.

From Slate ● Oct. 4, 2023

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 Dodd, William E.