sec·ond·ary
ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē 
1
a
: of second rank, importance, or value
b
: of, relating to, or constituting the second strongest of the three or four degrees of stress recognized by most linguists
the fourth syllable of basketball team carries secondary stress
c
of a tense
: expressive of past time
2
a
: immediately derived from something original, primary, or basic
b
: of, relating to, or being the induced current or its circuit in an induction coil or transformer
secondary voltage
c
: characterized by or resulting from the substitution of two atoms or groups in a molecule
a secondary salt
especially
: being, characterized by, or attached to a carbon atom having bonds to two other carbon atoms
d(1)
: not first in order of occurrence or development
(2)
: dependent or consequent on another disease or condition
secondary hypertension
(3)
: produced by activity of formative tissue and especially cambium other than that at a growing point
secondary growth
secondary phloem
3
a
: of, relating to, or being the second order or stage in a series
b
: of, relating to, or being the second segment of the wing of a bird or the quills of this segment
c
: of or relating to a secondary school
secondary education
plural secondaries
1
: one occupying a subordinate or auxiliary position rather than that of a principal
2
: a defensive football backfield
3
: the coil through which the secondary current passes in an induction coil or transformer
called also secondary coil
4
: any of the quill feathers of the forearm of a bird see wing illustration
Synonyms
Examples of secondary in a Sentence
Adjective
Winning is secondary—we play for the fun of the sport.
There are some secondary issues which must be taken into account as well.
I want a car that's reliable; the color is of secondary importance.
The secondary roads are indicated on the map with a green line.
Better gas mileage is a secondary benefit of reduced speed limits.
Noun
The team has a strong secondary.
Recent Examples on the Web
Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
On the secondary market, an in-demand Rolex can fetch many percentage points over retail.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Plus, the bag’s proliferation on the secondary market means a consumer has other avenues for obtaining one, said Scafidi.
—Joan Kennedy, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Two small secondary stages have been built near the side seating sections, and up to 16 audience members will be seated onstage for every performance.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
The buds are set on the previous year’s growth, but some varieties also set secondary buds that flower later in the summer.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2024
There are also listings on secondary ticket sites that are seemingly going for less than face value for some GA and VIP passes, but watch out for the extra fees.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
So far, there is no indication of secondary spread from this person.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024
According to Earley, eligible Disney+ subscribers have created more than 5 million secondary profiles since the beta launch of Hulu on Disney+.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
Senior defensive back Dean Clark (67 tackles, 2 INTs) leads an experienced secondary that also includes seniors Morice Norris Jr., who has 3 1/2 sacks and Carlton Johnson, who has a team-high four interceptions.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2023
Shares of the company have been trading on the secondary market at a valuation of approximately $4.8 billion, according to both Rainmaker and another secondaries brokerage Forge Global.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024
Bringing him back on an inexpensive deal would help keep together what was one of the best secondaries in the league.
8.
—Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024
With Mahomes and the offense no longer lighting up opposing secondaries like in the past, the pressure was on Spagnuolo's defense.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
That production, along with Julian Blackmon's breakout year at strong safety, helped the Colts survive one of the youngest secondaries in the league to finish 9-8 and within a few plays of the playoffs.
—The Indianapolis Star, 9 Jan. 2024
The customer, the CEO of Linear, accused Carta of using his startup’s confidential data without his approval to build out Carta’s own order book for its secondaries market platform.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2024
Smith has been an afterthought in this offense of late with A.J. Brown dominating targets and opposing secondaries.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2023
Adjective
According to Ticketmaster, about 5% of the 2.4 million tickets sold for the first leg of the tour were sold or posted for resale on the secondary market — about 120,000 tickets.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
On the secondary market, an in-demand Rolex can fetch many percentage points over retail.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
Plus, the bag’s proliferation on the secondary market means a consumer has other avenues for obtaining one, said Scafidi.
—Joan Kennedy, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Two small secondary stages have been built near the side seating sections, and up to 16 audience members will be seated onstage for every performance.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
The buds are set on the previous year’s growth, but some varieties also set secondary buds that flower later in the summer.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 7 Apr. 2024
There are also listings on secondary ticket sites that are seemingly going for less than face value for some GA and VIP passes, but watch out for the extra fees.
—Vanessa Franko, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
So far, there is no indication of secondary spread from this person.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 5 Apr. 2024
According to Earley, eligible Disney+ subscribers have created more than 5 million secondary profiles since the beta launch of Hulu on Disney+.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
Former secondaries coach Nick Sorensen is now the man in the charge.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 2 Mar. 2024
Senior defensive back Dean Clark (67 tackles, 2 INTs) leads an experienced secondary that also includes seniors Morice Norris Jr., who has 3 1/2 sacks and Carlton Johnson, who has a team-high four interceptions.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Nov. 2023
Shares of the company have been trading on the secondary market at a valuation of approximately $4.8 billion, according to both Rainmaker and another secondaries brokerage Forge Global.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2024
Bringing him back on an inexpensive deal would help keep together what was one of the best secondaries in the league.
8.
—Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 13 Feb. 2024
With Mahomes and the offense no longer lighting up opposing secondaries like in the past, the pressure was on Spagnuolo's defense.
—Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024
That production, along with Julian Blackmon's breakout year at strong safety, helped the Colts survive one of the youngest secondaries in the league to finish 9-8 and within a few plays of the playoffs.
—The Indianapolis Star, 9 Jan. 2024
The customer, the CEO of Linear, accused Carta of using his startup’s confidential data without his approval to build out Carta’s own order book for its secondaries market platform.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 9 Jan. 2024
Smith has been an afterthought in this offense of late with A.J. Brown dominating targets and opposing secondaries.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'secondary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near secondary
Cite this Entry
“Secondary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secondary. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
secondary
1 of 2 adjective
sec·ond·ary
ˈsek-ən-ˌder-ē
1
a
: of second rank, importance, or value
secondary considerations
b
: of, relating to, or being the second strongest of the three or four levels of stress
the last syllable of "refrigerate" has secondary stress
2
a
: coming from something original or basic
b
: of, relating to, or being the current created by a change in the primary current or the circuit of the created current in an induction coil or transformer
a secondary coil
secondary voltage
3
a
: of, relating to, or being a second rank or grade in a series
b
: of or relating to a secondary school
secondarily
adverb
ˌsek-ən-ˈder-ə-lē
secondary
2 of 2 noun
plural secondaries
1
: the defensive football players who line up behind the line of scrimmage
2
: any of the quill feathers attached to the ulna of the wing of a bird
3
: the coil through which the secondary current passes in an induction coil or transformer
called also secondary coil
Medical Definition
secondary
adjective
sec·ond·ary
ˈsek-ən-ˌder-ē
1
: not first in order of occurrence or development: as
a
: dependent or consequent on another disease
secondary diabetes
Bright's disease is often secondary to scarlet fever
b
: occurring or being in the second stage
secondary symptoms of syphilis
c
: occurring some time after the original injury
a secondary hemorrhage
2
: characterized by or resulting from the substitution of two atoms or groups in a molecule
a secondary salt
especially
: being, characterized by, or attached to a carbon atom having bonds to two other carbon atoms
3
: relating to or being the three-dimensional coiling of the polypeptide chain of a protein especially in the form of an alpha-helix compare primary entry 1 sense 4, tertiary entry 2 sense 2c
Legal Definition
secondary
adjective
sec·ond·ary
ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē
1
: of second rank, status, importance, or value
2
: derived from something original or primary
3
: of, relating to, or being the second order or stage in a series
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