private

private
1 /'praIvit/ adjective
1 NOT FOR EVERYONE only for use by one particular person or group, not for everyone: a private road | private property
2 SECRET
a) private feelings, information, or opinions are personal or secret and not for other people to know about: What I told your was private - I thought you would respect that.
b) a private meeting, conversation etc involves only a small number of people, and is not for other people to know about: a peace deal hammered out in a series of private talks
3 NOT GOVERNMENT (only before noun) not connected with, owned by, or paid for by the government: a private hospital | private pension plans | go private BrE (=pay for medical treatment instead of getting it free at a public hospital)
4 NOT PART OF YOUR WORK separate from and not connected with your work or your official position: The president is paying a private visit to Europe. | private life (=the parts of your life not connected with your job or your public life, especially your relationships): I never discuss my private life in interviews.
5 QUIET PLACE quiet and without lots of people: Is there a private corner where we can have a talk?
6 PERSON (only before noun) a private person is one who likes being alone, and does not talk much about their thoughts or feelings: Although he spends a lot of time in the public eye, he is really a very private man.
7 private joke a joke made between friends, family members etc that other people do not understand
—see also: privately 2 noun
1 in private without other people being present: I have something to tell you, but I'll speak to you about it in private.
2 (C) a soldier of the lowest rank
3 privates (plural) informal private parts

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • private — pri‧vate [ˈpraɪvt] adjective [only before a noun] 1. private property, businesses, activities etc are owned or paid for by people and companies, rather than the government: • They transferred ownership of thousands of companies from the state to …   Financial and business terms

  • private — pri·vate adj 1 a: intended for or restricted to the use of a particular person or group or class of persons: not available to the public a private park b: not related to, controlled by, or deriving from the state a private school 2 a: owned by or …   Law dictionary

  • Private — Media Group  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Private (homonymie).  Private Media Group …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Private — Pri vate (?; 48), a. [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) …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • private — [prī′vət] adj. [ME pryvat < L privatus, belonging to oneself, not to the state < privare, to separate, deprive < privus, separate, peculiar, prob. akin to OL pri: see PRIME] 1. of, belonging to, or concerning a particular person or… …   English World dictionary

  • Private — can refer to:* Privacy, the ability of a person to control the availability and path of information about himself or herself and exposure of himself or herself. * privately held companies * Private (rank), a military grade * Private (film), a… …   Wikipedia

  • private — ► ADJECTIVE 1) for or belonging to one particular person or group only. 2) (of a service or industry) provided by an individual or commercial company rather than the state. 3) (of thoughts, feelings, etc.) not to be shared or revealed. 4) (of a… …   English terms dictionary

  • Private — Pri vate (pr[imac] v[asl]t), n. 1. A secret message; a personal unofficial communication. [Obs.] Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. Personal interest; particular business.[Obs.] [1913 Webster] Nor must I be unmindful of my private. B. Jonson. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • private — (adj.) late 14c., from L. privatus set apart, belonging to oneself (not to the state), used in contrast to publicus, communis; originally pp. stem of privare to separate, deprive, from privus one s own, individual, from Old L. pri before.… …   Etymology dictionary

  • private — [adj1] personal, intimate behind the scenes*, clandestine, closet*, close to one’s chest*, confidential, discreet, exclusive, hushed, hush hush*, independent, individual, inside, nonpublic, not open, off the record*, own, particular, privy*,… …   New thesaurus

  • private — [[t]pra͟ɪvɪt[/t]] ♦♦ privates 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n Private industries and services are owned or controlled by an individual person or a commercial company, rather than by the state or an official organization. ...a joint venture with private… …   English dictionary

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