private

1 of 2

adjective

pri·​vate ˈprī-vət 

1

a

: intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person, group, or class

a private park

b

: belonging to or concerning an individual person, company, or interest

a private house

c(1)

: carried on by the individual independently of the usual institutions

a doctor in private practice

also : being educated by independent study or a tutor or in a private school

private students

(2)

: restricted to the individual or arising independently of others

private opinion

d

: not general in effect

a private statute

e(1)

: accommodating only one patient

The private patient room, once a luxury for the privileged few, is about to become the standard for the nation's hospitals, as evidence mounts that shared rooms lead to higher infection rates, more medical errors, privacy violations and harmful stress.

—Laura Landro

(2)

: staying or recovering in a room accommodating only one patient

private hospital patients

compare semiprivate sense 2

2

a(1)

: not related to one's official position : personal

private correspondence

(2)

: not holding public office or employment

a private citizen

b

: being a private

3

a

: not known or intended to be known publicly : secret

b

: preferring to keep personal affairs to oneself : valuing privacy highly

c

: withdrawn from company or observation

a private retreat

d

: unsuitable for public use or display

4

: not having shares that can be freely traded on the open market

a private company

privately adverb

privateness noun

private

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: an enlisted person of the lowest rank in the marine corps or of one of the two lowest ranks in the army

b

: a person of low rank in any of various organizations (such as a police or fire department)

2

privates plural : private parts

3

archaic : one not in public office

4

obsolete : privacy

Phrases

in private

: not openly or in public

Synonyms

Adjective

• behind-the-scenes
• confidential
• esoteric
• hushed
• hush-hush
• inside
• intimate
• nonpublic
• privy
• secret

Examples of private in a Sentence

Adjective

It was the first time many had seen works from the artist's private collection.

At work he was always very serious, but in his private life, he was actually very funny and relaxed.

Please keep all my personal information private.

He's a very private person.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

At first glance, private jets and military aircraft couldn’t seem further apart. —Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 21 Apr. 2024

The exchange of private details and photographs, including explicit selfies, is common. —Maya Salam Maya Salam, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024

Distrustful of Preval and the corrupt reputation of his administration, U.S. agencies and allies channeled aid through private foreign charities known as non-governmental organizations, or NGOs. —Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 21 Apr. 2024

The difference is that cyber criminals want to exploit your personal and private information while your cybersecurity team wants to protect it. —William Mullane, The Arizona Republic, 21 Apr. 2024

Take your time building relationships with people outside of your private space. —Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2024

Her private jets are now a matter of public interest. —Angela Watercutter, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024

Nordstrom previously tried to go private but those talks ultimately flopped in 2017. —Jeannette Neumann, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024

The area also features The Harbor, an outdoor park area with a high ropes course, a playground inspired by the lighthouse at the line’s private Bahamas destination Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve and more. —Nathan Diller, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024

Noun

In 2010, WikiLeaks published a spate of leaks from the Army private Chelsea Manning about U.S. military activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. —Nadia Beard, The New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2024

But Kimmel shamed him into doing it anyway, and the exceedingly buff and hairless Cena crab-walked sideways across the stage, his privates seemingly covered only by a large envelope. —USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024

Like his sister, the couple chose to keep photos of Cardinal private. —Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024

An Escape Inside the cramped bunker — one of the rooms was about 12 feet by 12 feet and the other was smaller — the Ukrainian privates soon ran low on food and had no means of communicating with the outside world. —Marc Santora, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024

The soldiers, ages 19 to 51 and mostly privates and a few officers, appeared to have several motivations for providing their accounts. —Rebecca Tan, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024

After years of keeping her claim-to-fame private, Smith revealed her Teletubbies history on Facebook in 2014. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 13 Oct. 2023

His first band, the Losers, played shows in their underwear, Utterback remembers, like a Midwestern version of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were known to perform wearing only socks over their privates. —Tim Carman, Washington Post, 20 Dec. 2023

One of those cases involved Kenneth Hagans, a 60-year-old father of four who served as a private in the Army in the early 1980s. —Kathleen McGrory, ProPublica, 9 Jan. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English privat, from Anglo-French, from Latin privatus, from past participle of privare to deprive, release, from privus private, individual; probably akin to Latin pro for, in front of — more at for

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Phrases Containing private

• buck private
• in private
• private bath
• private detective
• private enterprise
• private eye
• private first class
• private investigator
• private joke
• private label
• private law
• private member
• private member's bill
• private parts
• private patient
• private practice
• private school
• private sector
• private treaty
• semi-private
• virtual private network

Kids Definition

private

1 of 2 adjective

pri·​vate ˈprī-vət 

1

: having to do with or for the use of a single person or group : not public

private property

a private beach

2

a

: not holding any public office

a private citizen

b

: not relating to one's official position : personal

private letters

your own private opinion

3

: not known or meant to be known publicly

private meetings

keep personal information private

4

: not under public control

a private school

privately adverb

privateness noun

private

2 of 2 noun

1

plural : private parts

2

: a person of low or lowest rank in an organized group (as a police or fire department)

especially : an enlisted person of the lowest ranks in the army or marine corps

Medical Definition

private

adjective

pri·​vate ˈprī-vət 

1

: accommodating only one patient

a private patient room

also : staying or recovering in a room accommodating only one patient

private hospital patients

compare semiprivate

2

: of, relating to, or being private practice

a private office

a private practitioner

Legal Definition

private

adjective

pri·​vate

1

a

: intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person or group or class of persons : not available to the public

a private park

b

: not related to, controlled by, or deriving from the state

a private school

2

a

: owned by or concerning an individual person or entity

private land

b

: not having shares that can be freely traded on the open market

a private company

3

: affecting the interests of a particular person, class or group of persons, or locality

private legislation

private rights

4

a

: not invested with or engaged in public office or employment

a private citizen

b

: not related to or dependent on an official position

private correspondence

5

: not known publicly or carried on in public

especially : intended only for the persons involved

6

: made under private signature

a private instrument