secret sauce

noun

1

: a sauce that adds an important element to a dish and that has ingredients which are typically kept secret

A frank of beef, pork, and veal … is split lengthwise, coated with secret sauce, and cooked on a grill.

—Jane and Michael Stern

called also special sauce

2

: an element, quality, ability, or practice that makes something or someone successful or distinctive

If leadership has a secret sauce, it may well be humility. A humble boss understands that there are things he doesn't know.

—The Economist

called also special sauce

Examples of secret sauce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The secret sauce is training your model on your proprietary data while ensuring that your data remains in your control. —Michel Tricot, Forbes.com, 23 Apr. 2025

However, sources have said that the secret sauce of the Sinners campaign was that early review embargo lift on April 10, about a week before release. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 21 Apr. 2025

Assuming Nikola Jokic and Murray — especially Murray — show up and show out, Gordon is the secret sauce in the Big Mac. —Troy Renck, Denver Post, 18 Apr. 2025

Training robots to feel The secret sauce behind this emotional robot lies in its training process. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for secret sauce

• albatross
• applesauce
• barabbas
• helios
• kshatriyas
• across
• backcross
• crisscross
• lacrosse
• recross
• tomas
• blas