top secret

adjective

1
: protected by a high degree of secrecy
a top secret weapon
a top secret meeting
2
a
: containing or being information whose unauthorized disclosure could result in exceptionally grave danger to the nation
top secret messages
compare confidential, secret
b
: of or relating to top secret documents
a top secret clearance

Examples of top secret in a Sentence

The mission is top secret.
Recent Examples on the Web Investigators determined that 37 of those entries had top secret or secret information. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 9 Feb. 2024 Although specific plot details remain top secret, the movie will effectively serve as Marvel’s version of the DC’s anti-hero team the Suicide Squad, with the characters brought together to do the dirty jobs the Avengers can’t do. Adam B. Vary, Variety, 29 Jan. 2024 Smith’s team has charged Trump with illegally retaining top secret records at his Mar-a-Lago home and then obstructing government efforts to get them back. TIME, 8 Feb. 2024 But Kirkpatrick chalks all the UFO hoopla up to a top secret government program not to reverse-engineer alien ships, but to manufacture high-altitude metallic spy balloons. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2024 All details about the guest stars' roles are being kept top secret for now. Co-created by Glover and Francesca Sloane (Atlanta, Fargo), Mr. & Mrs. Smith stars Glover and Maya Erskine (Pen15) as the titular spy couple. Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 6 Dec. 2023 Most of the show’s plotlines have been kept top secret. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2024 Who is invited to the Met Gala? Until the evening before the event, the guest list is top secret. Vogue, 8 Nov. 2023 By holding the summit at Bletchley Park, the once top secret home of Alan Turing and other World War II-era cryptographers, the British are sending a symbolic message of their storied place in technological history, while seeking to declare themselves a vital part of its future. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'top secret.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of top secret was in 1942

Dictionary Entries Near top secret

Cite this Entry

“Top secret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/top%20secret. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

top secret

adjective
1
: protected by a high degree of secrecy
a top secret meeting
2
: containing information that is very important to the safety and defense of a nation
top secret messages

More from Merriam-Webster on top secret

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