secrete

1 of 2

verb (1)

se·​crete si-ˈkrēt 

secreted; secreting

transitive verb

: to form and give off (a secretion)

secrete

2 of 2

verb (2)

se·​crete si-ˈkrēt  ˈsē-krət 

secreted; secreting

transitive verb

1

: to deposit or conceal in a hiding place

2

: to appropriate secretly : abstract

Did you know?

If you guessed that the secret to the origins of secrete is the word secret, you are correct. Secrete developed in the mid-18th century as an alteration of a now obsolete verb secret. That verb had the meaning now carried by secrete and derived from the familiar noun secret ("something kept hidden or unexplained"). The noun, in turn, traces back to the Latin secretus, the past participle of the verb secernere, meaning "to separate" or "to distinguish." Incidentally, there is an earlier and distinct verb secrete with the more scientific meaning "to form and give off (a secretion)." That secrete is a back-formation from secretion, another word that can be traced back to secernere.

Synonyms of secrete

Verb (2)

• conceal
• hide
• bury

Choose the Right Synonym for secrete

hide, conceal, screen, secrete, bury mean to withhold or withdraw from sight.

hide may or may not suggest intent.

hide in the closet

a house hidden in the woods

conceal usually does imply intent and often specifically implies a refusal to divulge.

concealed the weapon

screen implies an interposing of something that prevents discovery.

a house screened by trees

secrete suggests a depositing in a place unknown to others.

secreted the amulet inside his shirt

bury implies covering up so as to hide completely.

buried the treasure

Examples of secrete in a Sentence

Verb (2)

the police found the weapon secreted under the driver's seat of the getaway car

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Birds, on the other hand, have glands above their eyes that secrete high-salinity fluid like a mammal’s kidney would. —Sara Kiley Watson, Popular Science, 18 Mar. 2026

Normal weight on the outside, visceral fat within —which secretes inflammatory compounds silently destroying arteries. —Aditi Kantipuly, STAT, 17 Mar. 2026

Demodex brevis lives on the oil-secreting glands along the eyelids (the meibomian glands), while Demodex folliculorum resides in the lash follicles. —Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 5 Mar. 2026

Shellac derives from the resinous material secreted by the lac bug, much like honey comes from a bee. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

back-formation from secretion

Verb (2)

alteration of obsolete secret, from secret entry 1

First Known Use

Verb (1)

1728, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1741, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for secrete

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete

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Kids Definition

secrete

1 of 2 verb

se·​crete si-ˈkrēt 

secreted; secreting

: to produce and give off a secretion

glands that secrete saliva

secrete

2 of 2 verb

se·​crete si-ˈkrēt 

ˈsē-krət

secreted; secreting

: to deposit or conceal in a hiding place

Medical Definition

secrete

transitive verb

se·​crete si-ˈkrēt 

secreted; secreting

: to form and give off (a secretion)

cells secreting mucus