trade secret

noun

: something (such as a formula) which has economic value to a business because it is not generally known or easily discoverable by observation and for which efforts have been made to maintain secrecy

Examples of trade secret in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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So do businesses with competitive intelligence, trade secrets or pending transactions. Gloria Domingos, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026 Washington also wants to address unfair trade practices, such as the requirement that American companies hand over blueprints, trade secrets, customer lists, marketing plans and more to operate. Yan Bennett, The Conversation, 15 May 2026 In February, two former Google engineers and one of their husbands — all Iranian nationals — were indicted for allegedly stealing trade secrets relating to the company’s Tensor processor for Pixel phones. Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 May 2026 The fighting is so fierce that Google even funded a city’s lawsuit against a local newspaper that tried to obtain water-usage figures through a public records request, arguing the data was a trade secret. Jim Edwards, Fortune, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for trade secret

Word History

First Known Use

1825, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trade secret was in 1825

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Cite this Entry

“Trade secret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trade%20secret. Accessed 30 May. 2026.

Legal Definition

trade secret

noun
trade se·​cret
: a formula, process, device, or item of information used by a business that has economic value because it is not generally known or easily discovered by observation or examination and for which reasonable efforts to maintain secrecy have been made

Note: Trade secrets are a form of intellectual property. Many states have enacted laws which create an action for damages or injunctive relief against misappropriation of trade secrets by improper means. Information contained in a patent is not protected as a trade secret.

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