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\ ˈstelth 
\
\Definition of stealth
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : a cautious, unobtrusive, and secretive way of moving or proceeding intended to avoid detection
Makos, among the fastest of sharks, chase down their prey. Slower species … rely on stealth and explosive power.— Steve Kemper The intricate labor … required courage and stealth.— Sue M. Halpern As we walked closer we began treading with exaggerated stealth until we came very close …— Dorothy Dimsdale A thief does his work in secret and by stealth.— Harry Shaw
2 : an aircraft-design characteristic consisting of oblique angular construction and avoidance of vertical surfaces that is intended to produce a very weak radar return
—usually used before another nouna stealth bomber/fighterstealth aircraftstealth technology
b obsolete : something stolen
stealth
adjectiveDefinition of stealth (Entry 2 of 2)
: intended not to attract attention : stealthy a stealth campaign … the company has operated in stealth mode until now.— Steve Silberman Her team seemed to communicate with a secret stealth language …— E. L. Konigsburg — see also stealth entry 1 sense 2
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Synonyms & Antonyms for stealth
Synonyms: Adjective
- backstairs,
- behind-the-scenes,
- clandestine,
- covert,
- furtive,
- hole-and-corner,
- hugger-mugger,
- hush-hush,
- private,
- privy,
- secret,
- sneak,
- sneaking,
- sneaky,
- stealthy,
- surreptitious,
- undercover,
- underground,
- underhand,
- underhanded
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of stealth in a Sentence
Noun
The fox uses stealth and cunning to hunt its prey. Adjective
the SWAT team carried out a stealth raid on the house, which was believed to be harboring a terrorist cell
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Nelson lets such heady themes grow organically, by stealth, from an ensemble that never, ever seems to be acting.
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Ben Brantley, New York Times, "‘The Michaels’ Review: Dance as Life in Upstate New York," 28 Oct. 2019 That will make Vestager’s critics think twice before accusing the EU of tax harmonization by stealth.
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Washington Post, "What Apple Can Learn From Starbucks on EU Taxes," 24 Sep. 2019 Each one bagged is the result of a process that takes knowledge and observation and stealth.
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Will Brantley, Field & Stream, "Don’t Let the Long-Range Craze Kill Woodsmanship," 22 Sep. 2019 Speaking of Russian hackers, Cozy Bear is back on the radar after a few years of relative stealth, with a years-long campaign infiltrating the networks of political targets.
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Wired, "Security News This Week: The Air Force Finally Ditches Its Nuclear Command Floppy Disks," 19 Oct. 2019 If stealth has been the Clippers’ ally in recharting the trajectory of their franchise, the result of all those moves is a roster that no longer will be sneaking up on anyone.
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Andrew Greif, Los Angeles Times, "Clippers begin camp with big expectations and some concerns," 28 Sep. 2019 Quality product, excellent stealth, FANTASTIC SHIPPING!
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James Martinez, azcentral, "Criminal ring used 'dark web' marketplaces to sell drugs, turn bitcoins into cash," 9 Sep. 2019 But the F-35s aboard American, British and Italian carriers, designed more for stealth than stamina, can reach nowhere near as far.
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The Economist, "Aircraft-carriers are big, expensive, vulnerable—and popular," 14 Nov. 2019 Anthony Fajardo, director of the Department of Sustainable Development for Fort Lauderdale, said a new stealth tower hasn’t been built in the city for close to five years.
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Andrew Boryga, sun-sentinel.com, "That pine tree isn’t what you think. More cellphone towers are built in disguise.," 9 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective Here is how the Rose Bowl looked from the stealth bomber during the pregame flyover.
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oregonlive, "The Oregon Ducks should be in the top five of the season-ending polls: Issues & Answers," 4 Jan. 2020 The stealth bomber flyover, and a performance by singer Ally Brooke, marked the beginning of the 131st annual Tournament of Roses Parade.
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Los Angeles Times, "Rose Parade 2020: Skies were blue, spirits high as parade worked to broaden outreach," 1 Jan. 2020 After several years of stealth development, Amazon announced its Fire Phone in 2014.
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Heather Kelly, Washington Post, "The most disappointing technologies of the decade: Face computers, space tourism and Juicero," 26 Dec. 2019 An exhibit displaying the first operational stealth fighter has opened at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.
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USA TODAY, "Skiing Santas, bird-friendly glass, insulin caravan: News from around our 50 states," 11 Dec. 2019 The streets are swept, the soldiers rehearsed and the stealth drones ready to be put on display.
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Laignee Barron, Time, "Will Unrest in Hong Kong Spoil China’s Big Party?," 26 Sep. 2019 Nevertheless, there does appear to be a real combat stealth drone undergoing testing in Siberia.
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Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "This Is Russia’s First Autonomous Strike Drone," 25 Jan. 2019 So, a cryptic pregnancy (aka, a stealth pregnancy), is when a woman doesn’t realize she’s pregnant, Felice Gersh, MD, an ob-gyn and founder/director of the Integrative Medical Group of Irvine, in Irvine, California, tells Health.
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Leah Groth, Health.com, "Australian Model Erin Langmaid Had a Cryptic Pregnancy and Gave Birth in Her Bathroom," 14 Nov. 2019 That’s largely thanks to Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga, the actors who play the Lovings, but Negga, in particular, is the movie’s stealth powerhouse.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "The 10 Best Movie Performances of the 2010s," 14 Nov. 2019
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stealth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for stealth
stealth
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of stealth
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a secret, quiet, and clever way of moving or behaving
stealth
adjectiveEnglish Language Learners Definition of stealth (Entry 2 of 2)
technical —used to describe military aircraft that are designed so that they cannot be easily seen by radar
chiefly US : done or happening in a secret or quiet way that does not attract attention
See the full definition for stealth in the English Language Learners Dictionary
stealth
noun\ ˈstelth \
\Kids Definition of stealth
: sly or secret action
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The first known use of stealth was in the 14th century
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