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secret · noun /ˈsiː.krət/Full view
Nouns: secrecy, secret
Adjectives: secret, secretive
Adverbs: secretly, secretively
secret
B1 C something that you tell no one about or only a few people
Dictionary examples:

I'm having a party for him but it's a secret.

Can you keep a secret?

We don't keep secrets from each other.

Aren't you going to let me in on the secret?

She makes no secret of her desire to sell the house.

That restaurant is one of the best-kept secrets in Denver.

Learner example:

I told her everything, she knew all my secrets but she never told me her secrets. (Preliminary English Test; B1; Spanish)

the secret
B2 the best way of achieving something
Dictionary examples:

That's the secret to making a good tomato sauce.

So what's the secret of your success?

Learner example:

The secret of this diet is that you have to be very optimist[ic]. (First Certificate in English; B2; Spanish)

in secret
B2 without telling other people
Dictionary example:

For years they worked in secret.

Learner example:

And then I realized it was my birthday! Everybody congratulated me on my exam. They [had] prepared everything in secret. (First Certificate in English; B2; Polish)

secret · adjective /ˈsiː.krət/
Nouns: secrecy, secret
Adjectives: secret, secretive
Adverbs: secretly, secretively
secret
B1 If something is secret, other people are not allowed to know about it.
Dictionary examples:

The President escaped through a secret passage underneath the parliament building.

This is top secret information.

Do you think we'll manage to keep the surprise party secret from Mom until her birthday?

Learner example:

When I was at the airport I lost my secret diary. (Preliminary English Test; B1; Italian)

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