private

adjective more private · most private

1. Belonging or pertaining to an individual person, group of people, or entity that is not the state. In some countries, healthcare is provided by both the government and private companies.
2. Relating to an individual or group of individuals outside of their official roles; often, sensitive or personal. This book is her private journal.
3. Not publicly known or divulged; secret, confidential; (of a message) intended only for a specific person or group. The identity of the beneficiaries of the trust is private.
4. Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded; not publicly accessible. Can we go somewhere more private?
5. Not in governmental office or employment. Military secrets should not be entrusted to unreliable private individuals.
6. Secretive; reserved. He is a very private person.
7. Not traded by the public. private equity
8. Of a room in a medical facility, not shared with another patient.
9. of schools Financially reliant on fees rather than government funding.
10. not comparable Accessible only to the class itself or instances of it, and not to other classes or even subclasses.

    Opposite: public, published

11. Of the mind or language, not in principle experienceable, knowable, or understandable by others.

Opposite: public

noun privates

1. A soldier of the lowest rank in the army.
2. A doctor working in privately rather than publicly funded health care. In the cities and towns of California, privates are pressuring county governments to close or reduce in size their hospitals and to pay private hospitals for the care of low-income patients. Thus everything is stacked against public hospitals.
3. euphemistic, in plural The genitals.

   Similar: bits, private parts

4. obsolete A secret message; a personal unofficial communication. The Count Meloone, a Noble Lord of France, Whose priuate with me of the Dolphines loue, s much more generall, then these lines import.
5. obsolete Personal interest; particular business. Nor must I be unmindful of my private.
6. obsolete Privacy; retirement. Go off, I diſcard you: let me enioy my priuate: go off.
7. obsolete One not invested with a public office. And what haue Kings, that Priuates haue not too,[…]
8. plural normally A private lesson. If you want to learn ballet, consider taking privates.

verb privates · privating · privated

1. Internet, transitive To make something hidden from the public (without deleting it permanently). During these negotiations, however, the Kleins say that Hosseinzadeh issued a copyright takedown for the video — even after it had already been privated.

noun Privates

1. Alternative letter-case form of private