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pri·vate | \ ˈprī-vət 
\
\Definition of private
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : 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 : of, relating to, or receiving hospital service in which the patient has more privileges than a semiprivate or ward patient
2a(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
3a : 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c : withdrawn from company or observation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
private
nounDefinition of private (Entry 2 of 2)
1a : 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)
3 archaic : one not in public office
in private
: not openly or in public
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Synonyms & Antonyms for private
Synonyms: Adjective
- behind-the-scenes,
- confidential,
- esoteric,
- hushed,
- hush-hush,
- inside,
- intimate,
- nonpublic,
- privy,
- secret
Antonyms: Adjective
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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The intensely private Wright had an aversion to flying and didn’t make many appearances later in life.
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Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek, "LPGA legend Mickey Wright, winner of 13 major championships, dies at age 85," 17 Feb. 2020 Olivet is a private, liberal arts college with 1,000 students.
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Jeff Seidel, Freep.com, "Athletes are killing themselves and schools in Michigan fear their players could be next," 16 Feb. 2020 Mardi Gras is funded in large part by private citizens but would not be possible without our partnership with the city of Mobile.
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Michelle Matthews | Mmatthews@al.com, al, "After decades of neglect, it’s time for this historic home in Mobile to shine once again," 12 Feb. 2020 And frankly, that kind of crisis suits Joe Biden better than Amy Klobuchar too, as Biden has the eight years of the Obama administration on his resumé while Klobuchar has no real executive experience to tout, in either the private or public sector.
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Edward Morrissey, TheWeek, "Why moderates should think twice about Klobuchar," 12 Feb. 2020 The private, nonprofit Lutheran university’s 24-acre campus is expected to eventually go up for sale.
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oregonlive, "Concordia University will close Portland campus; student plans suit: Morning Briefing for Tuesday, Feb. 11," 11 Feb. 2020 Robbie and Ackerly, a British film director and producer, are pretty private about their relationship.
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Elizabeth Entenman, refinery29.com, "Margot Robbie & Her Husband Are Working Together To Make Hollywood A Better Place For Women," 10 Feb. 2020 Rolling Greens also caters to private groups, offering activities for baby showers and birthdays.
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Dakota Kim, Sunset Magazine, "Treat Yourself to One of These Fabulous Floral Workshops," 10 Feb. 2020 Ben and Laura have always been extremely private about their relationship and have never publicly commented on the reason for their split.
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Tierney Mcafee, Country Living, "All About Laura Dern's Marriage and Divorce to Ex-Husband Ben Harper," 9 Feb. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Late in life, going dotty (or dottier than usual), my father contemplated returning to the battle zone of the Ardennes and seeking out German privates who had fought on the other side.
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Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, "The Art of Dying," 16 Dec. 2019 The result was a massive funding shortfall that had to be partially compensated by tapping debt markets via the April private placement.
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Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, "Aston Martin Went Public a Year Ago—and Then the Wheels Fell Off," 26 Sep. 2019 County police would not release the results of its investigation or the name of the officer, citing the need to keep the officer’s personnel record private.
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Liz Bowie, baltimoresun.com, "White Baltimore County officer disciplined after black city school principal alleges police verbally abused him," 17 Sep. 2019 During the hearing Thursday, the student testified that in a separate incident, another student had removed his pants, exposing him, and took a photograph of his privates.
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Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, "Hamtramck student alleges he was sexually assaulted by school employee, a Dem activist," 31 Oct. 2019 Ladies sat in such a way as not to display their privates to fellow diners.
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Dan Danbom, The Denver Post, "Don’t blow your nose in a napkin and use the right fork. Whatever happened to manners?," 17 Oct. 2019 The rebel scion of a prominent Charleston, S.C., family, Mr. Rittenberg, who joined and quit the American Communist Party, arrived in China as an Army private just as World War II ended.
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Robert D. Mcfadden, New York Times, "Sidney Rittenberg, Idealistic American Aide to Mao Who Evolved to Counsel Capitalists, Dies at 98," 24 Aug. 2019 After a year in New York, Fonda made his Broadway debut, playing an Army private in Blood, Sweat and Stanley Poole.
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Duane Byrge, Billboard, "Peter Fonda, 'Easy Rider' Architect And Counter-Cultural Icon, Dies At 79," 16 Aug. 2019 Some of his protagonists are officers or privates in the army; others contribute their scientific or managerial skills to wartime industry, or work at hospitals or orphanages; many are forced to flee east, further from the front lines.
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Sophie Pinkham, The New Republic, "Vasily Grossman’s Lost Epic," 27 Aug. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'private.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for private
private
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of private
(Entry 1 of 2)
: for the use of a single person or group : belonging to one person or group : not public
: not relating to a person's official position or job
: not known by the public or by other people
private
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of private (Entry 2 of 2)
: a person of the lowest rank in the U.S. or British Army or the U.S. Marines
See the full definition for private in the English Language Learners Dictionary
private
adjectivepri·vate | \ ˈprī-vət \
\Kids Definition of private
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : having to do with or for the use of a single person or group : not public
private property
2 : not holding any public office
a private citizen
3 : secret entry 1 sense 1 private meetings
private
nounKids Definition of private (Entry 2 of 2)
: an enlisted person of the lowest rank in the marine corps or of either of the two lowest ranks in the army
private
adjectivepri·vate | \ ˈprī-vət \
\Medical Definition of private
1 : of, relating to, or receiving hospital service in which the patient has more privileges than a semiprivate or ward patient
2 : of, relating to, or being private practice
a private office a private practitioner
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private
adjectivepri·vate
Legal Definition of private
1a : 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
2a : 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
4a : 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
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Comments on private
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Time Traveler for private
The first known use of private was in the 14th century
See more words from the same century