secret

secret

Une information que quelqu’un ne veut pas faire connaître aux autres.

En anglais simple : Information that someone does not want other people to know.

• Can you keep a secret?
• She told me a secret about her family.
• They discovered secrets that had been hidden for years.

Comment l'utiliser : keep something a secret (Please keep our plan a secret.)

Synonymes : confidential information

Expressions courantes : keep a secret, tell a secret, share a secret, family secret

secret, clé

L’élément ou la méthode qui permet à quelque chose de bien fonctionner ou de réussir.

En anglais simple : The important thing or method that makes something work well or explains its success.

• Patience is the secret to success.
• What's the secret of your delicious soup?
• She shared her secrets for growing healthy tomatoes.

Comment l'utiliser : the secret to something/doing something (Practice is the secret to playing well.); the secret of something (What's the secret of your success?)

Synonymes : key, trick, knack

Expressions courantes : secret of success, secret ingredient, secret to something, the real secret

secret, confidentialité

Une situation où les autres ne savent pas ce qui se passe.

En anglais simple : A state of privacy in which other people do not know what is happening.

• They met in secret.
• We planned the party in secret.
• The two leaders held talks in secret for several months.

Comment l'utiliser : in secret (They arranged the surprise in secret.)

Synonymes : secrecy, privacy

Contraires : openness

Expressions courantes : in secret, meet in secret, work in secret

secret, caché

Caché à la plupart des gens ou connu seulement de quelques personnes.

En anglais simple : Hidden from most people or known only to a few.

• This is a secret door.
• They held a secret meeting last night.
• We kept the birthday plans secret from Dad.

Comment l'utiliser : keep something secret (They kept their plans secret.); secret from someone (She kept the news secret from her parents.)

Synonymes : hidden, confidential, private

Contraires : public, open

Expressions courantes : secret diary, secret meeting, secret agent, keep something secret