Private Definition & Meaning

American

British

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Examples

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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.

Despite making her own accounts private 18 months ago, Sasha-Jay said the identity thief continued to use old photos and AI-edited images.

From BBC

Many Albanian users said they barely noticed the ban, as the app remained accessible via VPNs, or virtual private networks, which enable users to hide their locations.

From Barron's

Under the Medicare Advantage program, beneficiaries can choose to opt out of traditional Medicare and enroll in private plans offered by health insurers like Aetna.

From The Wall Street Journal

Find insight on open-ended private credit funds, Legal & General and more in the latest Market Talks covering financial services.

From The Wall Street Journal

Essentially, a top VPN encrypts all the traffic that comes in and out of your computer and routes it through a private server.

From Salon

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.