Definition of COVERT

Choose the Right Synonym for covert

Adjective

secret, covert, stealthy, furtive, clandestine, surreptitious, underhanded mean done without attracting observation. secret implies concealment on any grounds for any motive. met at a secret location covert stresses the fact of not being open or declared. covert intelligence operations stealthy suggests taking pains to avoid being seen or heard especially in some misdoing. the stealthy step of a burglar furtive implies a sly or cautious stealthiness. lovers exchanging furtive glances clandestine implies secrecy usually for an evil, illicit, or unauthorized purpose and often emphasizes the fear of being discovered. a clandestine meeting of conspirators surreptitious applies to action or behavior done secretly often with skillful avoidance of detection and in violation of custom, law, or authority. the surreptitious stockpiling of weapons underhanded stresses fraud or deception. an underhanded trick

Examples of covert in a Sentence

Adjective He has taken part in a number of covert military operations. spy agencies taking covert action Noun set up a covert from which to watch wildlife without being detected the rabbit rushed to the safety of the nearest covert

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective On March 13, 2017, the FBI secured a covert search warrant allowing agents to enter Mr. Schulte’s Manhattan apartment without notice, according to court filings. — Rebecca Davis O’brien, WSJ, "Ex-CIA Engineer Set to Go on Trial for Massive Leak," 3 Feb. 2020 Other potential causes include meteorites, covert military operations, and methane gas bubbling up from beneath the water to burst with a pop. — Erin Blakemore, Popular Science, "Seven mysterious sounds science has yet to solve," 27 Jan. 2020 The general, who led the Quds Force, a covert action wing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was also considered to be an intelligence official by the Bush administration. — Madison Dibble, Washington Examiner, "‘Contentious politics’: Bush administration passed up opportunity to kill Soleimani in 2007," 23 Jan. 2020 More than a few viewers have also noticed that its story line serves as a covert critique of some cherished shibboleths, especially the kind of everyone-gets-a-ribbon egalitarianism that post-boomer generations have grown up on. — Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, "The 34 best political movies ever made," 23 Jan. 2020 So if one political party here is using covert methods to create propaganda against another political party, that's not your job. — CBS News, "Transcript: Shelby Pierson talks with Michael Morell on "Intelligence Matters"," 22 Jan. 2020 Police installed a covert camera in one elevator where some of the graffiti had been drawn, leading investigators to Dees, authorities said. — David K. Li, NBC News, "Pilot wrote racist and pro-Trump graffiti around the Tallahassee airport, police said," 22 Jan. 2020 As head of Iran's Quds Force, Soleimani directed covert operations across the Middle East. — Russ Read, Washington Examiner, "While Iranian students rip down posters of Soleimani, Syria awards him a posthumous medal of honor," 14 Jan. 2020 An incomplete list includes a backdoor on hundreds of thousands of BLU devices, a powerful backdoor and rootkit also on BLU devices, and covert downloaders on 26 different phone models from various manufacturers. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "US Government-funded Android phones come preinstalled with unremovable malware," 9 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Back at the Tribe’s underground covert, the Mandalorian donates his full payment to his people. — Alex Kane, USA TODAY, "The Mandalorian recap: Chapter 3 'The Sin'," 22 Nov. 2019 In July, a bomb targeting the Afghan covert service killed eight members and six civilians, and wounded hundreds more. — New York Times, "Trump Administration Officials at Odds Over C.I.A.’s Role in Afghanistan," 2 Sep. 2019 The two-person rear bench seat coverts into a small double bed and a second double bed fits in the pop-top, allowing the Sixty to sleep four. — Megan Barber, Curbed, "This Westfalia camper van is giving us 1950s-diner vibes," 1 Oct. 2018 To keep these images and video covert, cheaters may have a special cloud service. — Kim Komando, Fox News, "8 clever ways that tech can reveal a cheating spouse," 15 Sep. 2018 Gates himself has already pleaded guilty to conspiracy and lying to the FBI and vowed to help Mueller's investigation into Russia's covert influencing of the election. — Josh Hafner, USA TODAY, "OnPolitics Today: VA chief David Shulkin is done. Next up for Trump? Amazon, maybe," 28 Mar. 2018 When spelling the word out doesn’t work, Pig Latin is another way to keep, say, a potential trip to the ark-pay or oo-zay covert. — Mark Peters, BostonGlobe.com, "Pig Latin is alive and ellway," 11 Mar. 2018 The new count includes covert as well as temporary units, defense officials said. — Helene Cooper, New York Times, "U.S. Says It Has 11,000 Troops in Afghanistan, More Than Formerly Disclosed," 30 Aug. 2017 Regardless, losing 2-1 to Trinidad/Tobago in a qualifier Tuesday – and thus being eliminated from the 2018 World Cup – ain’t gonna create more coverts to the church of futbol. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc: More of the same from Dusty Baker; Goodell misplaces his spine," 11 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'covert.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.