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 The group had to be especially covert that night, Shedd testified, because the admiral had issued a no-liberty policy for that port visit, prohibiting sailors from leaving the ship unless on official business. — Kristina Davis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 May 2022 The plot setup is nothing if not basic: the game casts you as Aiden, a man searching for his sister, who, like him, was the victim of a covert medical program that used kids as test subjects. — Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2022 That raised the prospect of centrifuges being manufactured and set aside for a future covert nuclear-weapons program, although there is no evidence of Iran doing that. — Laurence Norman, WSJ, 15 Dec. 2021 An Iranian scientist that Israel has credited with masterminding the Islamic Republic’s covert military nuclear program until it was disbanded two decades ago was assassinated outside Tehran on Friday, Iran's top diplomat confirmed. — Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2020 Filicetti added that the goal of communicating signs discreetly isn't much different than a magician or mentalist conveying covert information. — Chris Bumbaca, USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2022 The sanctions followed reporting from the investigative news site El Faro that revealed evidence of the pact, including prison reports from covert meetings between officials and gang leaders. — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2022 For years, the Taliban had been at war with the Afghan police, frequently targeting officers in covert and brutal killings. — Mirzahussain Sadid, ProPublica, 5 Apr. 2022 The residents of the Square staged covert actions in their stairwells, filming five floors of people, their backs to the camera, lined up with a view of the courtyard police patrol in the distance. — New York Times, 30 Mar. 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Hunting coverts of primary and secondary growth isn’t always easy, and Faust’s advice is to be physically prepared for a day in the uplands. — Tom Keer, Field & Stream, 2 June 2020 The bonus of finding a spring singing field is that you also will have pinpointed an autumn covert. — Tom Fegely, Field & Stream, 13 Apr. 2020 Back at the Tribe’s underground covert, the Mandalorian donates his full payment to his people. — Alex Kane, USA TODAY, 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, 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, 1 Oct. 2018 To keep these images and video covert, cheaters may have a special cloud service. — Kim Komando, Fox News, 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, 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, 11 Mar. 2018 See More

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.