| private | |
| 1. adj. Belonging to, concerning, or accessible only to an individual person or a specific group. | |
| Her address is private; you can't have it. | |
| private papers | |
| 2. adj. Not accessible by the public. | |
| private property | |
| 3. adj. Not in governmental office or employment. | |
| He quit public life, living quietly as a private citizen. | |
| 4. adj. Not publicly known; not open; secret. | |
| The identity of the beneficiaries of the trust is private. | |
| 5. adj. Protected from view or disturbance by others; secluded. | |
| Can we go somewhere more private? | |
| 6. adj. Not traded by the public. | |
| private corporation | |
| 7. adj. Secretive; reserved. | |
| He is a very private person. | |
| 8. adj. (US, of a room in a medical facility) Not shared with another patient. | |
| 9. n. A soldier of the lowest rank in the army. | |
| 10. n. (euphemism, in the plural) The genitals. | |
| 11. n. (obsolete) A secret message; a personal unofficial communication. | |
| 12. n. (obsolete) Personal interest; particular business. | |
| 13. n. (obsolete) Privacy; retirement. | |
| 14. n. (obsolete) One not invested with a public office. | |
| 15. n. (usually plural) A private lesson. | |
| If you want to learn ballet, consider taking privates. | |
