as in secretly
in a manner intended to prevent knowledge or awareness by others
she confided to me privately that she was considering divorce
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of privately
Although not publicly traded, OpenAI’s long list of institutional backers have privately held shares in the startup.
—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
The work has since been performed numerous times around the world, publicly and privately.
—News Desk, Artforum, 3 Nov. 2025
Rogers privately financed a $300 million renovation of Rogers Centre over nearly two years that transformed the building from its multipurpose sports roots to baseball focused.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2025
The Auburn goal-line fumble, which the SEC privately validated as the right call.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Any future accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Reports indicate his future accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Oct. 2025
Sandringham is privately held by the monarch, as opposed to being part of the Crown Estate.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Andrew’s new accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
The work has since been performed numerous times around the world, publicly and privately.
—News Desk, Artforum, 3 Nov. 2025
Rogers privately financed a $300 million renovation of Rogers Centre over nearly two years that transformed the building from its multipurpose sports roots to baseball focused.
—Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 2 Nov. 2025
The Auburn goal-line fumble, which the SEC privately validated as the right call.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Any future accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
—Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Reports indicate his future accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 Oct. 2025
Sandringham is privately held by the monarch, as opposed to being part of the Crown Estate.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
Andrew’s new accommodation will be privately funded by King Charles.
—Max Foster, CNN Money, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for privately
Adverb
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As the unloved surviving son of a cruel father, he was approached by a wizard who offered him gold to secretly feed a mysterious hedgehog-faced monster in a cave.—
Scott Meslow,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This malware secretly collects usernames, passwords and website logins from infected devices.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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The two sides settled confidentially last year and Joyride emerged from bankruptcy.—
Justin Wingerter,
Denver Post,
16 Oct. 2025
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So these cases are almost always settled confidentially.—
Stayton Bonner,
Robb Report,
24 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Privately.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/privately. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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