1
: expressed or carried on without words or speech
The blush … was a tacit answer …—
Bram Stoker
Bram Stoker2
: implied or indicated (as by an act or by silence) but not actually expressed
tacit consent
tacit admission of guilt
tacitly
adverb
tacitness
noun
tac·it·ness
plural -es
Examples of tacit in a Sentence
Adjective
While they got a frosty public response, officials say the private message was a tacit green light.
—Mark Thompson, Time, 16 Nov. 1998
Magic requires tacit cooperation of the audience with the magician—an abandonment of skepticism … the willing suspension of disbelief.
—Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
What a writer must always remember, however, is that with rare exceptions—Edith Wharton then, Louis Auchincloss now—he or she is never really in society; a temporary visa is issued with the tacit stipulation that it will be withdrawn and access denied if confidences are betrayed.
—John Gregory Dunne, Harp, 1989
Myself, I like to play the field and see what happens, but there are certain tacit rules: do not mix freshwater fish with those from the sea; do not mix coarse fat fish with delicate ones …
—M. F. K. Fisher, With Bold Knife and Fork, 1969
She felt that she had her parents' tacit approval to borrow the car.
There was a tacit agreement that he would pay off the loan.
Mark Thompson, Time, 16 Nov. 1998
Magic requires tacit cooperation of the audience with the magician—an abandonment of skepticism … the willing suspension of disbelief.
—Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World, 1996
What a writer must always remember, however, is that with rare exceptions—Edith Wharton then, Louis Auchincloss now—he or she is never really in society; a temporary visa is issued with the tacit stipulation that it will be withdrawn and access denied if confidences are betrayed.
—John Gregory Dunne, Harp, 1989
Myself, I like to play the field and see what happens, but there are certain tacit rules: do not mix freshwater fish with those from the sea; do not mix coarse fat fish with delicate ones …
—M. F. K. Fisher, With Bold Knife and Fork, 1969
She felt that she had her parents' tacit approval to borrow the car.
There was a tacit agreement that he would pay off the loan.
Recent Examples on the Web
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 June 2026
For most of the post-civil-rights era, a tacit consensus discouraged white Americans from thinking of themselves as avatars of a racial demographic.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
There’s a tacit humility to that answer.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 June 2026
But the journey to genuine mastery remains dependent on experience, context, and tacit knowledge.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tacit
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Adjective
North Korea is expected to use the summit to press for economic concessions, and potentially even for Beijing's tacit recognition of its nuclear status — something Russia is believed to have privately conceded, Lee added.
—Anniek Bao, CNBC, 8 June 2026
For most of the post-civil-rights era, a tacit consensus discouraged white Americans from thinking of themselves as avatars of a racial demographic.
—Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 8 June 2026
There’s a tacit humility to that answer.
—Thomas Drance, New York Times, 2 June 2026
But the journey to genuine mastery remains dependent on experience, context, and tacit knowledge.
—Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tacit
Cite this Entry
“Tacit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tacit. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tacit
adjective
tac·it
ˈtas-ət 
1
: expressed without words or speech
2
: understood or made known (as by an act or by silence) though not actually expressed
tacit approval
tacitly
adverb
tacitness
noun
Legal Definition
tacit
adjective
tac·it
ˈta-sət
1
: implied (as by an act or by silence) rather than express
a tacit admission
2
in the civil law of Louisiana
: arising by operation of law
a tacit mortgage
tacitly
adverb
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