secret sauce

noun

Definition of secret sauce

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

This is ultimately Peloton’s secret sauce, and may be difficult for its competitors to replicate. — Cheryl Wischhover, Vox, "Peloton’s $2,000 stationary bike has totally disrupted working out at home," 14 Nov. 2018 Really great lighting is the secret sauce of a room. — Kaitlin Menza, House Beautiful, "Grab A Stunning Lamp During Clarkson And Circa Lighting's Black Friday Deals," 20 Nov. 2018 But what’s the secret sauce behind Kardashian West’s winning (and major) moments? — Madeline Fass, Vogue, "Happy 38th Birthday, Kim Kardashian West! 5 Accessory Moments the Star Made Major," 21 Oct. 2018 Charles + Dinorah will serve chef Andrew Santana’s revamped version of its classic burger, served with smoked cheddar and a secret sauce, along with hand-cut fries and a beer for $15. — Carolina Gusman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Skip the tie: 45 Father's Day dining specials in San Diego County," 9 June 2018 The secret sauce of Hitman, Liebold says, is unearthing every secret, trying every route and tactic, and truly immersing yourself in the game’s complex systems. — Nick Statt, The Verge, "How Hitman 2’s developers turned its gigantic levels into ever-evolving playgrounds," 18 Oct. 2018 Exfoliant + jelly mask = secret sauce for glowy skin. — Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, "6 Things I Learned From Natural Skin-Care Legend Tata Harper," 25 Sep. 2018 But the real secret sauce is what gives the GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti their names. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Nvidia's GeForce RTX 2080 and RTX 2080 Ti are loaded with boundary-pushing graphics tech," 20 Aug. 2018 The secret sauce lies in the hands of senior gardener, Yoko Arakawa, who has traveled to Japan many times to train in the old-school Japanese cultivation technique. — Lauren Smith, House Beautiful, "Meet the Largest Chrysanthemum in North America," 10 Aug. 2015

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