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

Apple is currently suing OpenAI, accusing the AI company of stealing trade secrets for its hardware development. — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026

Tech + Innovation OpenAI pushed back against Apple's trade secrets lawsuit in a blog post early Tuesday, challenging the iPhone-maker’s bid to gain a preliminary injunction involving two former Apple employees and alleged confidential information. — Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

In the complaint, Apple claims that other former employees who joined OpenAI may also have engaged in trade secret theft. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026

Some of that information might involve trade secrets and other proprietary materials. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 July 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.