| 单词 | secret |
| 释义 | adjective | noun secretsecret1 /ˈsikrɪt/ ●●● S2 W2 adjective 1known about by only a few people and kept hidden from others: The report contained secret information. The government held secret meetings with the rebels. They kept their relationship secret from their parents (=they did not tell them).secret compartment/passage/hiding place etc. Agents found the drugs in a secret compartment in Campbell’s suitcase.secret ingredient/recipe/formula The cookies are made from a secret recipe.► see thesaurus at private1 → see also top-secretTHESAURUSconfidential – secret and not intended to be shown or told to other people. Used especially in business, legal, or other official language: These files are confidential and cannot leave the office.classified – kept secret by the government: The soldier was accused of posting classified information on the Internet.sensitive – secret and likely to cause problems if people know: The report contained sensitive information on the situation in Iraq.covert – done secretly, especially by a government organization: The CIA carried out covert operations in the country.undercover – done secretly by the police in order to catch criminals or find out information: The police mounted an undercover operation to break the drug-smuggling ring.clandestine – organized and carried out in secret: The two crime bosses held a clandestine meeting in an old warehouse.private – about your personal life and kept secret from other people: My family problems are private, and I do not wish to discuss them.2secret weapon something that will help you gain a big advantage over your competitors, that they do not know about3[only before noun] secret feelings, worries, or actions are ones that you do not want other people to know about: Her secret fear was that Jim would leave her. Eventually his wife discovered his secret life with his mistress.4secret admirer someone who is in love with another person, without that person’s knowledge [Origin: 1300–1400 Old French, Latin secretus, past participle of secernere to separate] adjective | noun secretsecret2 ●●● S3 W2 noun [countable] 1something that is kept hidden or that is known about by only a few people: I can’t tell you that – it’s a secret. Can you keep a secret (=not tell a secret to anyone)? I’ll tell you a secret, if you promise not to tell anybody else. It is certainly no secret that the store is losing a lot of money (=many people know that). Pam’s lasagna recipe is a closely guarded secret (=one that is carefully kept). The beach is one of the area’s best-kept secrets (=few people know about it).2in secret in a private way or place that other people do not know about: The negotiations were conducted in secret.3[singular] a particular way of achieving a good result, that is the best or only way: the secret to (doing) something The secret to making good pie crust is to use very cold water. Your hair always looks so great – what’s your secret (=how do you do it)? What do you think is the secret of her success?4make no secret of something to make your opinions about something clear: Marge made no secret of her dislike for Terry.5the secrets of nature/the universe etc. the things no one yet knows about nature, the universe, etc. → see also trade secretCOLLOCATIONSverbshave a secret We have no secrets from each other.know a secret (=about someone else) You can tell Tom that I know his secret.keep a secret (=not tell it to anyone) Little kids can’t keep a secret.tell somebody a secret The girls laughed and talked and told each other secrets.let somebody in on a secret (=tell them a secret) Frank let me in on the secret.reveal/divulge a secret formal (=tell it to someone) He was accused of revealing state secrets.give away a secret (=tell it to someone carelessly or by mistake) I had to be careful not to give away any secrets.share a secret (=tell it to someone because you trust them) I trusted Alexander, so I decided to share my secret with him.find out a secret (also discover a secret) He was afraid that someone would discover his secret.adjectives/nouns + secreta big secret (=an important secret or one that very few people know) The event was supposed to be a big secret, but everyone knew about it.a little secret (=a personal secret that very few people know) You have to promise me that this will be our little secret.a dirty little secret (=a fact that is different from what people expect, which someone would prefer other people not to know) Here’s a dirty little secret about college: a lot of people never finish.a closely guarded secret (also a well-kept secret) (=a secret that few people are allowed to know) The recipe is a closely guarded secret.the best-kept secret (=something good that only a few people know about) The vineyard is one of Napa Valley’s best-kept secrets.the worst-kept secret (=something that everyone knows, even though they should not) The possibility of job losses at the company was one of the worst-kept secrets on Wall Street.an open secret (=one that a lot of people know, but do not talk about because it is supposed to be a secret) It was an open secret that he was having an affair.a deep secret (=one that is kept very secret) He urged us to keep the news a deep secret until he was ready to make the announcement.a dark/terrible/shameful secret (=a secret about something bad) I’m sure every family has a few dark secrets.a guilty secret (=a secret that someone feels guilty about) He had finally discovered Jo’s guilty secret.a family secret Their normally strong relationship is threatened when he has to reveal a family secret.a state/official secret (=a government secret) He was accused of passing state secrets to a foreign power.a trade secret (=a company or business secret) The company suspected a former employee had stolen its trade secrets.military secrets He was sent to prison for five years in 1933 for selling military secrets to Germany. |
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