Private Definition & Meaning

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    • Synonyms private American [prahy-vit] / ˈpraɪ vɪt /

    adjective

    1. belonging to some particular person.

      private property.

    2. pertaining to or affecting a particular person or a small group of persons; individual; personal.

      for your private satisfaction.

      Synonyms: peculiar, particular, singular Antonyms: public, general

    3. confined to or intended only for the persons immediately concerned; confidential.

      a private meeting.

    4. personal and not publicly expressed.

      one's private feelings.

    5. not holding public office or employment.

      private citizens.

    6. 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.

    7. removed from or out of public view or knowledge; secret.

      private papers.

    8. not open or accessible to the general public.

      a private beach.

    9. undertaken individually or personally.

      private research.

    10. without the presence of others; alone.

      Let's go into another room where we can be private.

      Synonyms: retired

    11. solitary; secluded.

      He wants to meet us in a more private place.

    12. preferring privacy; retiring.

      a very private person.

    13. intimate; most personal.

      private behavior.

    14. 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.

    15. of lowest military rank.

    16. of, relating to, or coming from nongovernmental sources.

      private funding.

    noun

    1. a soldier of one of the three lowest enlisted ranks.

    2. privates. private parts.

    idioms

    1. in private, not publicly; secretly.

      The hearing will be conducted in private.

    private British / ˈpraɪvɪt /

    adjective

    1. not widely or publicly known

      they had private reasons for the decision

    2. confidential; secret

      a private conversation

    3. not for general or public use

      a private bathroom

    4. (prenominal) individual; special

      my own private recipe

    5. (prenominal) having no public office, rank, etc

      a private man

    6. (prenominal) denoting a soldier of the lowest military rank

      a private soldier

    7. of, relating to, or provided by a private individual or organization, rather than by the state or a public body

      the private sector

      private housing

    8. (of a place) retired; sequestered; not overlooked

    9. (of a person) reserved; uncommunicative

    10. in secret; confidentially

    "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

    noun

    1. a soldier of the lowest rank, sometimes separated into qualification grades, in many armies and marine corps

      private first class

    "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 private More Idioms

      More idioms and phrases containing private

      • free (private) enterprise
      • in private

    Other Word Forms

    • privately adverb
    • privateness noun
    • quasi-private adjective
    • quasi-privately adverb
    • unprivate adjective
    • unprivately adverb
    • unprivateness noun

    Etymology

    Origin of private

    First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin prīvātus “private,” literally, “taken away (from public affairs),” special use of past participle of prīvāre “to rob”; deprive, -ate 1

    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.

    In December, it overhauled its nuclear sector to allow for private investment and rolled back a liability law that had held back U.S. firms from pursuing nuclear energy deals in the country.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    Bill Ackman, the vociferous hedge-fund manager based in New York, called the California union’s proposal “an expropriation of private property” in a post on X this week.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    "Families will save both time and money - no longer facing lost income from taking time off work or having to fork out for private vaccinations," Streeting said.

    From BBC

    Mamdani, 34, began his term just after midnight in a private ceremony at the decommissioned Old City Hall subway station, a symbolic nod to the city’s transit history and working-class communities.

    From Salon

    New York's first Muslim mayor took the oath of office during a private ceremony at a decommissioned subway stop under City Hall.

    From Barron's

    Related Words

    • confidential
    • exclusive
    • independent
    • individual
    • secret
    • separate
    • special

    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.

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