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1. Dictionary

   Pri·vate

   /ˈprīvət/

   

   adjective

   • 1. belonging to or for the use of one particular person or group of people only: "all bedrooms have private facilities" Similar personalone's ownindividualparticularspecialexclusiveprivately ownedOpposite public
   • ▪ (of a situation, activity, or gathering) affecting or involving only a particular person or group of people: "a small private service in the chapel" Similar confidentialstrictly confidentialsecrettop secretclassifiedunofficialoff the recordnot for publicationnot to be made publicnot to be disclosedclosetbackstageoffstageprivilegedone-on-onetête-à-têtecovertclandestinesurreptitiousin camerainformal:hush-hushOpposite openpublic
   • ▪ (of thoughts and feelings) not to be shared with or revealed to others: "she felt awkward intruding on private grief" Similar intimatepersonalsecretinnermostinwardunspokenundeclaredundisclosedunvoicedsneakinghidden
   • ▪ (of a person) not choosing to share thoughts and feelings with others: "he was a very private man" Similar reservedintrovertintrovertedself-containedreticentdiscreetuncommunicativenoncommunicativemedia-shyunforthcomingsecretiveretiringungregariousunsocialunsociablewithdrawnsolitaryinsularreclusivehermitlikehermiticOpposite extrovert
   • ▪ (of a meeting or discussion) involving only a small number of people and dealing with matters that are not to be disclosed to others: "this is a private conversation"
   • ▪ (of a place) quiet and free from people who can interrupt: "can we go somewhere a little more private?" Similar secludedsecretquietundisturbedconcealedhiddenremoteisolatedout of the waysequesteredOpposite busycrowded
   • 2. (of a person) having no official or public role or position: "the paintings were sold to a private collector"
   • ▪ not connected with one's work or official position: "he would continue to represent her in a private capacity as advisor and confidant" Similar unofficialpersonalnon-officialnonpublicOpposite official
   • 3. (of a service or industry) provided or owned by an individual or an independent, commercial company rather than by the government: "research projects carried out by private industry" Similar independentnon-state-controllednon-state-runprivatizeddenationalizednonpubliccommercialprivate-enterpriseOpposite publicnationalizedstate-controlled
   • ▪ relating to a system of education or medical treatment conducted outside the system of government and charging fees to the individuals who make use of it: "private education"
   • ▪ relating to or denoting a transaction between individuals and not involving commercial organizations: "it was a private sale—no agent's commission"

   noun

   • 1. a soldier of the lowest rank, in particular an enlisted person in the US Army or Marine Corps ranking below private first class.
   • 2. short for private parts informal

   Word Origin late Middle English (originally denoting a person not acting in an official capacity): from Latin privatus ‘withdrawn from public life’, a use of the past participle of privare ‘bereave, deprive’, from privus ‘single, individual’.

   Scrabble Points: 12

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2. www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › privatePrivate Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

   www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › private

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   Jul 6, 2012 · The meaning of PRIVATE is intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person, group, or class. How to use private in a sentence.

3. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › englishPRIVATE | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › english

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   PRIVATE definition: 1. only for one person or group and not for everyone: 2. Private activities involve personal…. Learn more.

4. www.dictionary.com › browse › privatePRIVATE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

   www.dictionary.com › browse › private

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   removed from or out of public view or knowledge; secret: private papers. not open or accessible to the general public: a private beach. undertaken individually or personally: private research. without the presence of others; alone: Let's go into another room where we can be private. Synonyms: retired. solitary; secluded:

5. dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionaryPRIVATE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › us › dictionary

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   PRIVATE meaning: 1. only for one person or group and not for everyone: 2. Private activities involve personal…. Learn more.

6. www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › privatePrivate - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

   www.vocabulary.com › dictionary › private

   Something private is something you don't want to share; it's for your eyes only. Your diary entries and your bank account balance might both be kept private.

7. dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-englishPRIVATE | meaning - Cambridge Learner's Dictionary

   dictionary.cambridge.org › dictionary › learner-english

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   PRIVATE definition: 1. only for one person or group and not for everyone: 2. controlled by or paid for by a person or…. Learn more.

8. www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › englishprivate adjective - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage...

   www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com › definition › english

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   not owned/run by state. [usually before noun] owned or managed by an individual person or an independent company rather than by the state. a private firm/business/hospital. The painting is now in a private collection. a former soldier working in private security.

9. www.thefreedictionary.com › PrivatePrivate - definition of private by The Free Dictionary

   www.thefreedictionary.com › Private

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   a. Belonging to a particular person or persons, as opposed to the public or the government: private property. b. Of, relating to, or derived from nongovernment sources: private funding. c. Conducted and supported primarily by individuals or groups not affiliated with governmental agencies or corporations: a private college; a private sanatorium. d.

10. www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › englishPRIVATE definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary

    www.collinsdictionary.com › dictionary › english

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    You can use private to describe situations or activities that are understood only by the people involved in them, and not by anyone else. Chinese waiters stood in a cluster, sharing a private joke.

11. www.collinsdictionary.com › us › dictionaryPRIVATE definition in American English | Collins English ...

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    If you describe someone as a private person, you mean that they are very quiet by nature and do not reveal their thoughts and feelings to other people. Gould was an intensely private individual.