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 Stern and Michael Stern
Jane Stern and Michael Sterncalled 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
The Economistcalled also special sauce
Examples of secret sauce in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the other idea at work is to improve the bottom of the roster and add the secret sauce of competition.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
That’s what gives it the hip factor that’s the key to the SXSW secret sauce.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Surely, another college would want to get a little of that secret sauce.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
That’s part of our secret sauce.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for secret sauce
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 16 Mar. 2026
That’s what gives it the hip factor that’s the key to the SXSW secret sauce.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Mar. 2026
Surely, another college would want to get a little of that secret sauce.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 15 Mar. 2026
That’s part of our secret sauce.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for secret sauce
Cite this Entry
“Secret sauce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secret%20sauce. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
