secret sauce

noun

Updated on: 17 May 2018

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

Recent Examples of secret sauce from the Web

Though there’s no standard protocol, generally an audit involves an outside entity coming in to review how a company develops its secret sauce—without compromising that company’s trade secrets.

— jessi hempel, WIRED, "Want to Prove Your Business Is Fair? Audit Your Algorithm," 9 May 2018
The secret sauce of Trump’s real-estate business in its early stages was his ability to manipulate the media and willingness to borrow massive sums and not pay them back.

— jonathan chait, Daily Intelligencer, "Why Mueller Has to Expose Trump’s Crooked Business Empire," 7 May 2018
The signature is Shoyu ahi, which comes with scallions, sesame oil, and an all-important secret sauce.

— Bloomberg.com, "Bloomberg," 2 May 2018
In a fourth, shimmering crimson under the ceiling lights, was the secret sauce: heme (or haem), a component of many proteins, including hemoglobin — the pigment that gives blood its color.

— Time, "Meet the Founder of Impossible Foods, Whose Meat-Free Burgers Could Transform the Way We Eat," 23 Apr. 2018
At the InterContinental Miami, the secret sauce for a Top Workplace can be found in Clive Huggins’ pumpkin pancakes.

— david lyons, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Top Large Workplace: InterContinental Miami gives employees 'room to grow, room to be involved'," 19 Apr. 2018
The sensory package pours on the luxury secret sauce with Bose studio surround audio, power rear sunshade, quilted seat inserts, more bolstering and upgraded leather as well as premium headliner, stitching and soft-touch materials.

— jeff yip, Houston Chronicle, "Infiniti Q70 Luxe serves tasty blend of performance, luxury," 14 Apr. 2018
As much as Pick talks up the bank’s people and culture, the trading algorithms—an early form of artificial intelligence—are its secret sauce, according to Pandit.

— hugh son, Bloomberg.com, "Wall Street’s Big Banks Are Waging an All-Out Technological Arms Race," 5 Apr. 2018
The secret sauce for Bumble is that women are always tasked with initiating the first conversation.

— kurt wagner, Recode, "Bumble called Tinder’s parent company a ‘bully,’ and promised it would never sell to them, ‘no matter the price tag’," 20 Mar. 2018

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.