privately

Everyday

1. Without other people being there or knowing; in secret or alone. tree →
2. In your own thoughts, not said out loud: «privately, she was scared». tree →
3. Owned or paid for by a person or company, not the government: «a privately owned park». tree →
4. A book that is privately printed is printed in small numbers for friends and is not sold in shops. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and safety: talk privately to a teacher about a worry; private parts of your body are private. In stories, characters speak privately or think privately. Phrases: «speak privately», «privately owned».

Examples

• Can I talk to you privately, Miss? tree →
• She spoke to him privately after class. tree →
• Privately, I thought the film was boring. tree →
• The forest is privately owned, so we can't go in. tree →
• He changed privately in the cubicle. tree →
• Some schools are run privately. tree →
• Mr. Clouston has remarks on the raven as omen-bird in his notes to Mrs. Saxby's Birds of Omen in Shetland (privately printed, 1893). tree →

Note

Adverb of «private». Privately is different from a bad secret: if something worries or hurts you, telling a trusted adult privately is right, even if someone said to keep it secret.