trade secret

noun

: something (such as a formula) which has economic value to a business because it is not generally known or easily discoverable by observation and for which efforts have been made to maintain secrecy

Examples of trade secret in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Ding stole more than 2,000 pages of confidential information containing Google’s AI trade secrets from the company’s network and uploaded them to his personal Google cloud account between May 2022 and April 2023, according to evidence presented at trial. —Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 31 Jan. 2026

Between May 2022 and April 2023, Ding stole more than 2,000 pages of Google's AI trade secrets and uploaded them to his personal Google Cloud account, the DOJ said Friday. —Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026

In late 2023, prosecutors said Ding downloaded the trade secrets to his own personal computer before resigning from Google. —Tim Fang, CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026

The company claimed the number was a trade secret. —Ira Goldstein, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

trade secret

noun

trade se·​cret

: a formula, process, device, or item of information used by a business that has economic value because it is not generally known or easily discovered by observation or examination and for which reasonable efforts to maintain secrecy have been made

Note: Trade secrets are a form of intellectual property. Many states have enacted laws which create an action for damages or injunctive relief against misappropriation of trade secrets by improper means. Information contained in a patent is not protected as a trade secret.