secrecyse‧cre‧cy /ˈsiːkrəsi/ ●○○ noun [uncountable] 
I must stress the need for absolute secrecy about the project. His work was shrouded in secrecy. the veil of secrecy that covered the talks2swear somebody to secrecy to make someone promise not to repeat what you have told them
WORD ORIGINsecrecy
Origin:
1500-1600 secretie ‘secrecy’ (15-16 centuries), from secre ‘secret’ (14-16 centuries), from Old French secré, from Latin secretus; ➔ SECRET1EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Anna swore me to secrecy on the subject of her family until her book came out.
- Our commanding officer emphasized the need to maintain the utmost secrecy about the operation at all times.
- The gunmen tracked down their target, despite the shroud of secrecy surrounding his whereabouts.
- There is a great deal of secrecy within the organization.
- Why all the secrecy? You've got nothing to be ashamed of.
- A 10-year life span for classified information, unless an agency specifies that the information must have continued secrecy.
- In implementing his plan, Reagan operated in the utmost secrecy.
- It had what all lovers lovers, seek, secrecy, privacy, exclusivity.
- The decision to release the documents reverses a Red Cross policy of secrecy.
- The expansion of citizen participation is greatly threatened today by government secrecy, industrial monopolies, and a closed media.
- They were given uniforms; there was a rudimentary organisation; they practised drilling and, in secrecy, weapons training.
- You must make him understand the need for secrecy.
Longman Language Activatorto not tell other people about a secret
to not tell someone about something: · I told you not to tell anyone!· 'Who's that letter from?' 'I'm not telling you.'not tell somebody what/how/why etc: · Henry wouldn't tell me what the surprise was.· Penny laughed, but she wouldn't tell me why.not tell about: · Vinny didn't tell the police about his visit to Mahoney's apartment.· You'd better not tell Elizabeth about this.not tell of: · Margaret had not yet told her sons of her planned engagement.not tell (that): · Carl felt I'd been deceiving him all these years by not telling him I was gay.without telling somebody: · I was annoyed that he'd left without telling me.
to not tell other people something, because you want it to remain secret: · They wanted to keep their relationship secret for as long as possible.· The graves were covered up in a deliberate attempt to keep the killings secret.· So you've been keeping it secret all this time?keep sth secret from: · Mary kept her illness secret, even from family members.
someone who can keep a secret will not tell your secrets to other people, so you can trust them with secret information: · Can you keep a secret?· 'Can I trust you?' 'I'm honest, and I can keep a secret'.
to deliberately not talk about something in public, especially something you are ashamed or embarrassed about: · Parotti had threatened to expose the illegal arrangements unless he was paid $50,000 to keep quiet. · Some people disagree with what the government is doing, but they keep quiet for fear of reprisals.keep quiet about: · We used to keep quiet about some of the things that went on in the prison.keep quiet over: · I think they should have kept quiet over that.keep something quiet (=keep something secret): · The minister denied that the case had been kept quiet or hidden.keep somebody quiet (=do something to stop someone telling a secret): · She'd been brutally murdered to keep her quiet.
to deliberately not tell someone about something, especially because you think they would be upset if they knew the truth: · Edward never told anyone about his illness. He even tried to keep it from his wife.· The president has a reputation for keeping key decisions from even his closest aides.· She tried in every way to keep the truth from her parents.
to not allow people to know about something that has been officially planned or decided: be kept under wraps: · It's been suggested the report was kept under wraps to avoid controversy.· Ford's new range of cars is being kept firmly under wraps until the Geneva auto show.
the ability to judge when you should or should not tell people things that you know about someone or something: · Absolute discretion is required from everyone working for the Royal Family.leave something to somebody's discretion: · I leave it to your discretion as to whether you should tell your colleagues.show/exercise discretion: · TV commentators have shown great discretion, glossing over the problems in her personal life. · Can junior managers be trusted to exercise discretion when making decisions?be the (very) soul of discretion (=be the sort of person who will never tell something that should be kept secret): · You can tell Martin anything -- he's the very soul of discretion.
when what someone does or says is kept very secret, so that only a few people know about it: · There is a great deal of secrecy within the organization.· Why all the secrecy? You've got nothing to be ashamed of.utmost secrecy: · Our commanding officer emphasized the need to maintain the utmost secrecy about the operation at all times.swear somebody to secrecy (=make someone promise that they will not tell other people a secret): · Anna swore me to secrecy on the subject of her family until her book came out.a veil/shroud/cloak of secrecy: · The gunmen tracked down their target, despite the shroud of secrecy surrounding his whereabouts.
the trust that exists between people who share secrets, especially between a professional person such as a doctor or lawyer and someone who gives them private advice: · Alexander declined to comment, citing attorney--client confidentiality.· Researchers should always be able to guarantee complete confidentiality for their subjects.· Data encryption ensures the privacy and confidentiality of email messages.breach/violate confidentiality (=to break confidentiality by telling someone a secret): · The health clinic has again been caught violating patient confidentiality.breach of confidentiality: · You doctor should not have told your parents about the abortion -- that was a blatant breach of confidentiality.
secret information/plans/places/activities if something is secret , not many people know about it, and they agree not to tell anyone else about it: · The letter was written in a secret code.· Secret documents containing details of Britain's defence plans have been stolen.· The president's schedule is secret, but there is speculation that he will visit UN troops in the area.remain/stay secret: · I hope you see how vital it is that our conversation remains secret.top secret (=when an official document, piece of information etc is very secret): · The experiments were top secret.secret ballot (=a secret vote): · The Leader of the House will be selected by secret ballot.
confidential information is known only by a few official people, and must not be told to anyone else, for example because it contains military secrets or private details about people: · We hold confidential records on each employee.· Always protect confidential files by locking them with a password.· An employee secretly gave confidential memos to the press.highly confidential (=very confidential): · The information we received is of a highly confidential nature and relates to national security.
classified information or documents are ones that the government has ordered to be kept secret: · There is evidence that Huang had access to classified information.· Only licensed companies are eligible to receive, store, or send classified material.
information or documents that are sensitive are likely to cause problems or embarrassment if they are made public and therefore they are kept secret: · A teenager used his personal computer to break into sensitive US Air Force files. · Your competitors may have access to the company intranet, so never discuss commercially sensitive issues on-line.highly sensitive: · The minister admitted that highly sensitive documents had been leaked to the press.
done secretly, especially by a government or official organization, often involving breaking the law: · The chief investigator resigned, amid allegations of covert and probably illegal operations.· The abuse of residents in the home was confirmed by covert video surveillance.
working secretly - use this about the activities of the police, the army etc: · Six members of a drug-smuggling gang were arrested after an 18-month undercover police operation.· The unit is equipped to deal with a variety of situations, including undercover surveillance.
if something is veiled , cloaked , or shrouded in secrecy , very little is known about it and it seems very mysterious: · In Japan, the private lives of the Emperor and his family were once veiled in secrecy.· The President's exact itinerary was cloaked in secrecy for security reasons.· This ground-breaking work is shrouded in secrecy on the instruction of the company's lawyers.
informal kept officially secret: · His death was really hush-hush. It was so covered up that you wondered if it wasn't a suicide.· 'The Manhattan Project' was the insiders' name for the hush-hush project.
use this about methods and activities that involve a lot of secrecy, especially when this seems unnecessary: · He was arrested after a cloak-and-dagger operation involving the CIA and MI6.
done secretly done without anyone else knowing: · Many civilians were secretly killed and buried by soldiers.· My parents didn't approve of our relationship, and we had to meet in secret.· Operating in secrecy, intelligence agencies are often seen as mysterious and unaccountable for their actions.
if you do something on the quiet , you do it secretly, especially because you think that people will disapprove of what you are doing: · His doctor has told him he mustn't drink, but he still has the occasional brandy on the quiet.· He used to flirt with the two girls, on the quiet, when his wife wasn't looking.
if important official meetings, discussions, or decisions take place behind closed doors , they take place secretly without the public being allowed to see or hear them: · The board members met behind closed doors to discuss the deal.· Although America is a democracy, a lot of key decisions are made behind closed doors by unelected advisers.
if you do something in private or privately , you do it where other people cannot see or hear you: · Can I have a word with you in private?· Although party officials give the President their public support, many are saying in private that he may have to resign.· Generations of Native American children in state schools were punished for speaking their own language, even privately.
if you do something or say something unpleasant about someone behind their back , you do or say it without telling them: · I thought you were my friend. Now I find you've been talking about me behind my back.· People laughed at him behind his back.· He agrees with his boss to his face, but then criticizes him behind his back.go behind somebody's back: · I'm not happy about you going behind my back like that. You should have told me.
if you do something surreptitiously , you do it while other people are not looking because you do not want them to see you doing it: · She glanced surreptitiously up at the clock.· I found myself studying his face surreptitiously.· Greenpeace claim that toxic waste has been dumped surreptitiously on west coast beaches.
if you do something furtively , you do it in a way which makes you look as if you are keeping something secret, especially something wrong that you have done: · She looked around furtively to make sure no one was watching.· The older boys hovered furtively outside the school gates, clutching thinly rolled cigarettes.
to make someone not tell anyone about something to make someone seriously promise that they will not tell anyone about something you have told them or something that they know about: · "What's she doing here?" "I'd better not say. She swore me to secrecy."· Nobody knows much about the organization because its members are all sworn to secrecy.
spoken used when you are telling someone that what you are saying is a secret, and you do not want them to tell anyone else about it: · Between you and me, I think Elizabeth is a bit of a nightmare.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY I must stress the need for absolute secrecy about the project. His work was shrouded in secrecy. the veil of secrecy that covered the talksCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The trial was held under a blanket of secrecy. The talks have been cloaked in secrecy. Employees were pledged to secrecy. The work is shrouded in secrecy.COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
I must stress the need for absolute secrecy about the project. His work was shrouded in secrecy. the veil of secrecy that covered the talks The trial was held under a blanket of secrecy. The talks have been cloaked in secrecy.· Anyone who joined had to swear an oath of secrecy.
Employees were pledged to secrecy. The work is shrouded in secrecy.· Secrecy Rule 2.1 stresses the need for absolute secrecy before an announcement is made.· In the area of basic national defense the frequent need for absolute secrecy is, of course, self-evident.· Until radicals grasped the need to conduct their affairs in absolute secrecy, their chances of conspiring effectively were remote.
· The first is the need for great secrecy.· Hierarchy is perceived to operate very strongly and there is a great deal of secrecy surrounding ideas.· And, with great secrecy, she bought a Christmas tree, and decorated it herself when Susan was asleep.· This I did in what I thought were circumstances of great secrecy.
· Worse still, they are accused of invoking official secrecy to conceal the deception.
· Now these men were involved in a long-term operation and total secrecy was essential to its outcome.· The negotiations were in total secrecy - not even his Cabinet were informed.· It is organised into small cells and therefore hard to infiltrate, particularly as total secrecy is demanded of its members.· An operation involving 100 officers from London and Kent was set up in total secrecy.· We were anxious to preserve total secrecy on the new product to protect our legal rights.· It was negotiated in almost total secrecy.
NOUN· Properties and bank accounts used for laundering guerrilla funds would be confiscated, with bank secrecy laws lifted in order to facilitate investigation.· This is so despite falling tax rates in many industrialised countries and bank secrecy legislation designed to curtail their attractions.
· Properties and bank accounts used for laundering guerrilla funds would be confiscated, with bank secrecy laws lifted in order to facilitate investigation.
VERB· They are content to maintain their secrecy and carry on business as normal.· Washington was concerned about maintaining secrecy and preventing leaks.· The news can not be suppressed despite the most stringent efforts to maintain secrecy.
· The crisis of visibility concerns the notorious secrecy that surrounds prisons and what goes on inside them.· Perhaps, no decision caused more trouble for the past council than the secrecy that surrounded the Amazon.com deal.· Unprecedented secrecy and conflicting information surrounds the launch of the book.· An indication of the secrecy surrounding Buckley is an episode that took place in September 1977.· The secrecy that surrounded Emor had been a large part of its charm.· Hierarchy is perceived to operate very strongly and there is a great deal of secrecy surrounding ideas.· The secrecy which surrounded the location of a world under survey evaluation was essential in most instances.· Since its beginnings in the mid-1950s, the secrecy surrounding Sugar Grove has been intense.
· No, surely he would swear her to secrecy - if he really did agree in the end to Miguel's request.· Amy told no one else except her younger brother Howard, and she swore him to secrecy.· Ranulf was sworn to secrecy, but there was worse to come.· She swore him to secrecy and asked him to build the barrel.· Jett swore me to secrecy, with particular reference to you.· Lois had sworn her to secrecy.· John Thaw says he knows, but is sworn to secrecy.· They swore one another to secrecy.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRYPHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► be veiled in mystery/secrecy etc
- "What's she doing here?" "I'd better not say. She swore me to secrecy."
- Mia swore me to secrecy after she told me about the affair.
- Nobody knows much about the organization because its members are all sworn to secrecy.
- Amy told no one else except her younger brother Howard, and she swore him to secrecy.
- He swore his family to secrecy and tried to continue living a normal life, making regular stage appearances and several movies.
- Jett swore me to secrecy, with particular reference to you.
- Lois had sworn her to secrecy.
- No, surely he would swear her to secrecy - if he really did agree in the end to Miguel's request.
- She swore him to secrecy and asked him to build the barrel.
- They swore one another to secrecy.
- Amy told no one else except her younger brother Howard, and she swore him to secrecy.
- He swore his family to secrecy and tried to continue living a normal life, making regular stage appearances and several movies.
- Jett swore me to secrecy, with particular reference to you.
- Lois had sworn her to secrecy.
- No, surely he would swear her to secrecy - if he really did agree in the end to Miguel's request.
- She swore him to secrecy and asked him to build the barrel.
- They swore one another to secrecy.
- This time I had taken the precaution of tipping off the organizers in advance and swearing them to silence.
- He had apparently recovered from his visit to Johanna, hiding his feelings behind the usual veil of secrecy.
- Justice can not prevail under a veil of secrecy or behind doors that do not open.
- The client has thrown a veil of secrecy over the development, with contractors reluctant to discuss the project.
- A wall of silence has now descended over the key players.
- Blount met with a convenient wall of silence.
- But the wall of silence that protected behind the scenes negotiations produced no answers.
- Only Jim Crane, ambitious but a little more human than the other hacks, can break Alice's wall of silence.
- Other cracks in the wall of secrecy have appeared in recent years, as we shall see in Chapter 5.
- Very soon a cold stone wall of silence had tormented them to wounded exasperation.
WORD FAMILYnounsecrecysecretsecretivenessadjectivesecretsecretiveadverbsecretlysecretivelyverbsecrete
1the process of keeping something secret, or when something is kept a secret: I must stress the need for absolute secrecy about the project. His work was shrouded in secrecy. the veil of secrecy that covered the talks2swear somebody to secrecy to make someone promise not to repeat what you have told them