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Synonyms

secrete

1 American  
[si-kreet] / sɪˈkrit /

verb (used with object)

secreted, secreting

  1. to discharge, generate, or release by the process of secretion.

secrete 2 American  
[si-kreet] / sɪˈkrit /

verb (used with object)

secreted, secreting

  1. to place out of sight; hide; conceal.

    squirrels secreting nuts in a hollow tree trunk.
    Synonyms:
    disguise, shroud, cover
secrète 3 American  
[suh-kret] / səˈkrɛt /

noun

Armor.

  1. a steel skullcap of the 17th century, worn under a soft hat.

secrete 1 British  
/ sɪˈkriːt /

verb

  1. (of a cell, organ, etc) to synthesize and release (a secretion)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
secrete 2 British  
/ sɪˈkriːt /

verb

  1. (tr) to put in a hiding place

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
secrete Scientific  
/ sĭ-krēt′ /

  1. To produce and discharge a substance, especially from the cells of specialized glands. For example, the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas secrete the hormone insulin.

Related Words

See hide 1.

Other Word Forms

  • secretor noun

Etymology

Origin of secrete1

First recorded in 1700–10; back formation from secretion

Origin of secrete2

1735–45; alteration of obsolete secret, verb use of secret

Origin of secrète3

From French; secret

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We analyzed cell-free RNA from 25 cancer cell lines across 9 tissue types and found that about 30% of oncRNAs are actively secreted.

From Science Daily

Species known as Anthony's poison arrow frog and the Phantasmal poison frog are among those that secrete the toxin onto their skin.

From BBC

Due to their strength, they can be secreted in small volumes in parcels.

From BBC

“The horn has a poison that the karkadann secretes from a gland at the point.”

From Literature

They were whispering the whole afternoon and spending time secreted off in the barn.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.