Definitions for private
ˈpraɪ vɪtpri·vate

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:2.7 / 3 votes

1. private, buck private, common soldieradjective

   an enlisted man of the lowest rank in the Army or Marines

   "our prisoner was just a private and knew nothing of value"

2. privateadjective

   confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

   "a private place"; "private discussions"; "private lessons"; "a private club"; "a private secretary"; "private property"; "the former President is now a private citizen"; "public figures struggle to maintain a private life"

3. privateadjective

   concerning things deeply private and personal

   "private correspondence"; "private family matters"

4. individual(a), privateadjective

   concerning one person exclusively

   "we all have individual cars"; "each room has a private bath"

5. secret, privateadjective

   not expressed

   "secret (or private) thoughts"

WiktionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. privatenoun

   The lowest rank of the army.

2. privatenoun

   A soldier of the rank of private.

3. privatenoun

   (in plural privates) A euphemistic term for the genitals.

4. privateadjective

   Belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group.

   Her address is private, you can't have it.

5. privateadjective

   Not in governmental office or employment.

   He quit public life, living quietly as a private citizen.

6. privateadjective

   Not publicly known; not open; secret.

   The identity of the beneficiaries of the trust is private.

7. privateadjective

   Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded.

   Can we go someplace more private?

8. privateadjective

   Intended only for the use of an individual, group, or organization.

   private papers

9. privateadjective

   Not accessible by the public.

   private property.

10. privateadjective

    Not traded by the public.

    private corporation.

11. privateadjective

    Secretive; reserved.

    He is a very private person.

12. privateadjective

    Not shared with another patient.

13. privateadjective

    Pertaining to the genitalia.

    private parts.

14. Etymology: From privatus, perfect passive participle of privo, from privus.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PRIVATEadjective

   Etymology: privatus, Lat.

   1. Not open; secret.

   You shall go with me;
   I have some private schooling for you both. William Shakespeare.

   Fancy retires
   Into her private cell, when nature rests. John Milton.

   The harmless freedom, and the private friend. Anon.

   2. Alone; not accompanied.3. Being upon the same terms with the rest of the community; particular: opposed to publick.

   When publick consent of the whole hath established any thing, every man’s judgment, being thereunto compared, were not private, howsoever his calling be to some kind of publick charge; so that of peace and quietness there is not any way possible, unless the probable voice of every intire society or body politic overrule all private of like nature in the same body. Richard Hooker, Preface.

   He sues
   To let him breathe between the heav’ns and earth,
   A private man in Athens. William Shakespeare, Ant. and Cleop.

   What infinite heartease must kings neglect,
   That private men enjoy? and what have kings,
   That private have not too, save ceremony? William Shakespeare.

   Peter was but a private man, and not to be any way compared with the dukes of his house. Henry Peacham, of Antiquities.

   The first principles of christian religion should not be farced with school points and private tenets. Robert Sanderson.

   Dare you,
   A private man presume to love a queen. Dryden.

   4. Particular; not relating to the publick.

   My end being private, I have not expressed my conceptions in the language of the schools. Digby.

   5. In Private. Secretly; not publickly; not openly.

   In private grieve, but with a careless scorn;
   In publick seem to triumph, not to mourn. George Granville.

2. Privatenoun

   A secret message.

   His private with me of the dauphin’s love,
   Is much more general than these lines import. William Shakespeare.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Private

   Private is a song by Australian singer songwriter Vera Blue, released on 17 February 2017 as the lead single from her second studio album, Perennial (2017). Vera Blue told Triple J the song was written in April 2016 and is about "that fantasy of wanting someone you can't have… I find that's something everyone can relate to. There's that frustration from not being able to have something whether you fall for a friend or a celebrity..."

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. private

   Private generally refers to something that is not open or accessible to the public, but instead limited to a specific individual, group, or organization. It can also indicate something that is personal, confidential, or not meant to be shared or disclosed publicly. This term can apply to various contexts, including private property, private information, private conversations, or private organizations.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:4.0 / 3 votes

1. Privateadjective

   belonging to, or concerning, an individual person, company, or interest; peculiar to one's self; unconnected with others; personal; one's own; not public; not general; separate; as, a man's private opinion; private property; a private purse; private expenses or interests; a private secretary

2. Privateadjective

   sequestered from company or observation; appropriated to an individual; secret; secluded; lonely; solitary; as, a private room or apartment; private prayer

3. Privateadjective

   not invested with, or engaged in, public office or employment; as, a private citizen; private life

4. Privateadjective

   not publicly known; not open; secret; as, a private negotiation; a private understanding

5. Privateadjective

   having secret or private knowledge; privy

6. Privatenoun

   a secret message; a personal unofficial communication

7. Privatenoun

   personal interest; particular business

8. Privatenoun

   privacy; retirement

9. Privatenoun

   one not invested with a public office

10. Privatenoun

    a common soldier; a soldier below the grade of a noncommissioned officer

11. Privatenoun

    the private parts; the genitals

12. Etymology: [L. privatus apart from the state, peculiar to an individual, private, properly p. p. of privare to bereave, deprive, originally, to separate, fr. privus single, private, perhaps originally, put forward (hence, alone, single) and akin to prae before. See Prior, a., and cf. Deprive, Privy, a.]

FreebaseRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. Private

   A private is a soldier of the lowest military rank. In modern military parlance, 'private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Private

   prī′vāt, adj. apart from the state: not invested with public office: peculiar to one's self: belonging to an individual person or company: not public: retired from observation: secret: not publicly known: not holding a commission.—n. a common soldier: (Shak.) a person without public office, a secret message, privacy, retirement.—adv. Prī′vately.—n. Prī′vateness.—Private act, &c., an act, &c., which deals with the concerns of private persons—opp. to General act, &c.; Private judgment, the judgment of an individual, esp. on the meaning of a passage or doctrine of Scripture, as distinguished from the interpretation of the church; Private law, that part of law which deals with the rights and duties of persons quâ individuals; Private legislation, legislation affecting the interests of private persons; Private parts, the sexual organs; Private property, rights, the property, rights of individual persons, as distinguished from that which belongs to a public body and is devoted to public use; Private trust, a trust managed in the interest of private parties; Private wrong, an injury done to an individual in his private capacity.—In private, privately, in secret; The private (obs.), the private life of individuals. [L. privatus, pa.p. of privāre, to separate—privus, single.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. private

   The proper designation of a soldier serving in the ranks of the army, holding no special position.

Military Dictionary and GazetteerRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. private

   The title applied in the British army to a common soldier of the cavalry and infantry; the corresponding rank in the artillery being gunner or driver, and in the engineers, the sapper. A private in the cavalry is sometimes called a trooper. In the U. S. army all the soldiers who are below the grade of non-commissioned officers are called privates.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. private

   Belonging to a person and able to view, see or access with their consent.

   Many people have private social media accounts as they value their privacy.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on April 3, 2020  

2. ---

   private

   Belonging to a specific person or people.

   If we own a property it is private and not meant to be accessed by anyone unless they have permission.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 10, 2020  

3. ---

   private

   Relating to a person and for agreement or discussion direct with this specific person.

   His news is private and is just for discussion with those he chooses.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 10, 2020  

4. ---

   private

   To ensure authorized access.

   The personal data of employees is private.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 16, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. private

   Song lyrics by private -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by private on the Lyrics.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PRIVATE

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Private is ranked #61123 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Private surname appeared 329 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Private.
   
   82% or 270 total occurrences were White.
   4.5% or 15 total occurrences were Asian.
   4.2% or 14 total occurrences were Black.
   3.9% or 13 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
   3.6% or 12 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1.5% or 5 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'private' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #536

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'private' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1081

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'private' in Adjectives Frequency: #63

How to pronounce private?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say private in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of private in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of private in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of private in a Sentence

1. Kris Brown:

   This proposal reveals one important fact from the White House : they recognize the problem of the private sale loophole that allows 20 percent of guns to be sold with no background check at all. ... We agree the private sale loophole must be fixed, but it should be fixed in a way that allows meaningful enforcement, not easy circumvention that endangers lives, the right balance was struck by the House, which passed a background checks bill where sales by private sellers are completed by a federally licensed firearms dealer to confirm the person purchasing the gun is the same person who is picking up the gun and other assessments of risk before completion of the sale are done. If we want to save lives and meaningfully fix the private sale loophole, S. 42, now 200 days and counting on Mitch McConnell's desk is the way to do it.

2. John Adams:

   Public virtue cannot exist in a nation without private, and public virtue is the only foundation of republics. There must be a positive passion for the public good, the public interest, honor, power and glory, established in the minds of the people, or there can be no republican government, nor any real liberty: and this public passion must be superior to all private passions

3. Jen Psaki:

   Department officials routinely meet and consult informally with a wide range of private groups, certainly including executives from movie studios and a range of private-sector companies and individuals seeking information about U.S. foreign policy and U.S. views on developments around the world, our message in public and in private is the same: we respect artists' and an entertainer's right to produce content of their choosing; we have no involvement in such decisions.

4. Ulysses S. Grant:

   Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported entirely by private contributions. Keep the church and the state forever separate.

5. Gerges Scott:

   Private prisons have the same standards and guidelines as federal prisons, there is a lot more accountability for private prisons. Union workers in public prisons provide a lot of leniency for their employees. In a private prison, a majority are not unionized, so the oversight is very rigid.

Popularity rank by frequency of use