secret sauce
noun
1
: a sauce that adds an important element to a dish and that has ingredients which are typically kept secret
A frank of beef, pork, and veal … is split lengthwise, coated with secret sauce, and cooked on a grill.—
Jane Stern and Michael Stern
Jane Stern and Michael Sterncalled also special sauce
2
: an element, quality, ability, or practice that makes something or someone successful or distinctive
If leadership has a secret sauce, it may well be humility. A humble boss understands that there are things he doesn't know.—The Economist
The Economistcalled also special sauce
Examples of secret sauce in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their synergy was the secret sauce that built the best team in football.
—Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
But Nvidia’s secret sauce is more than just GPUs.
—Rosa De Acosta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Whether the merchandise is classic or updated, the secret sauce for independent men’s stores continues to be their relationships with customers.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 6 Feb. 2026
Amper’s assertion that young, inexperienced Gen Zers are the secret sauce for tech companies is actually playing out in real time.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for secret sauce
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Michael-Shawn Dugar, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
But Nvidia’s secret sauce is more than just GPUs.
—Rosa De Acosta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Whether the merchandise is classic or updated, the secret sauce for independent men’s stores continues to be their relationships with customers.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 6 Feb. 2026
Amper’s assertion that young, inexperienced Gen Zers are the secret sauce for tech companies is actually playing out in real time.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for secret sauce
Cite this Entry
“Secret sauce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secret%20sauce. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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