security clearance
noun
: special permission given only to people who are approved to know or see secret things
The documents are only available to people with security clearance from the government.
Examples of security clearance in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The bill outlines that to become a member of the Indiana National Guard military police force the adjutant general will make sure the members have security clearance and no felony convictions.
—
Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Bishop, 60 at the time of his sentencing, had top-secret security clearance.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Natanson’s materials were seized as part of a government investigation of Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator who has a security clearance and is accused of retaining classified intelligence reports.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Musk’s xAI signed a $200 million contract with the US military for the use of its Grok chatbot and has been looking to hire engineers with security clearance.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for security clearance
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.
Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026
Bishop, 60 at the time of his sentencing, had top-secret security clearance.
—Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 26 Feb. 2026
Natanson’s materials were seized as part of a government investigation of Aurelio Perez-Lugones, a system administrator who has a security clearance and is accused of retaining classified intelligence reports.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026
Musk’s xAI signed a $200 million contract with the US military for the use of its Grok chatbot and has been looking to hire engineers with security clearance.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 18 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for security clearance
Cite this Entry
“Security clearance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/security%20clearance. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
