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

Not unlike at his homes in Argentina and Miami, on vivid display in his coffee table memoir, visual excess is essential to the Faena secret sauce. — Erik Maza, Town & Country, "Alan Faena Built the Ultimate Shopping Bazaar for Design Snobs," 26 Mar. 2019 The shoes' secret sauce lies in the bold print, fierce heel, and comfortability. — Maya Allen, Marie Claire, "The Item I Wear to Death: My Snakeskin Zara Boots," 20 Mar. 2019 But a win is a win, so the question stands: What’s Mr. Hurd’s secret sauce, and can other Republicans learn the recipe? — Kyle Peterson, WSJ, "Lessons From a Republican Survivor," 4 Jan. 2019 Noticeable buffs lift up formerly lower-tier characters like Robin and Sonic, while Ken's moveset takes the same moves Ryu has and pumps the right amount of secret sauce into them (particularly his flaming dragon punch). — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Smash Bros. Ultimate review: The best fighting game on any Nintendo system," 6 Dec. 2018 Microsoft has naturally held back most of the secret sauce of its Edge rendering engine in order to maintain a browser advantage on Windows. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Google’s Chrome browser will get better because of Microsoft," 6 Dec. 2018 As for what's in the de-tangling, heat-protecting, UV-filtering secret sauce? — Karina Hoshikawa, Allure, "Exclusive: Nine Zero One Salon Founders Riawna Capri and Nikki Lee are Launching Their Own Hair-Care Line Called In Common," 18 Oct. 2018 The secret sauce left behind: so le al (Mama Choi’s acronym for soju, lemon, and aloe), a DIY facial toner meant to brighten, tighten, and clarify her skin. — Maureen Choi, Glamour, "My Mother’s 5-Step Korean Beauty Routine Completely Changed My Skin," 21 Sep. 2018 But the dish via which Papa Pollo gets his name is the rotisserie chicken, which is marinated in a secret sauce. — Nneka Mcguire, chicagotribune.com, "Hungry for authenticity? Consider calling Humboldt Park home," 2 July 2017

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.