Meaning of private In English

• 0 only for one person or group and not for everyone:

  • She has a small office that is used for private discussions.

  • I caught him looking through my private papers.

  • The sign on the gate said "Private Property - No Trespassing!"

  • Apparently in interviews he refuses to talk about his private life.

  • Although I support the project in public, my private opinion is that it will fail.

  • This is a private matter.

  • Is there somewhere private where we can talk?

  • She's a very private person.

  • Jamie wants to speak to me in private.

• 1 controlled or paid for by a person or company and not by the government:

  • private education/healthcare

  • a private doctor/dentist

  • Banks should be supporting small private businesses.

• 2 a soldier of the lowest rank in an army:

  • Private Murray/Sam Murray

  • [ as form of address ] You're dismissed, Private.

• 3 for the use of or belonging to one particular person or group only, or not shared or available to other people:

  • The sign on the gate said "Private Property – Keep Out."

  • Let’s go somewhere private so we can talk freely.

  • I asked if I could talk to her in private.

• 4 belonging to or managed by a person or independent company rather than the government:

  • The governor visited Ireland as a private citizen (= not as an official).

• 5 a person in the military of the lowest rank, below a corporal

• 6 used to describe a company with shares that are not traded on a stock market:

  • EM.TV is a private family-owned company.

• 7 owned or controlled by one person or company, rather than by a government:

  • Much of the funding for this type of investment comes from public, rather than private, sources.

  • We need to review public and private interests in order to balance them carefully.

  • The center has about 85 employees supported by private money from grants and donations.

  • private health insurance

  • private agencies/institutions/hospitals

• 8 private employees, investors, etc. act for themselves, rather than for a government or company:

  • private buyers/investors

  • a private contractor/developer

• 9 only offered to particular people or organizations to buy and not offered to the public:

  • The property was sold by private treaty.

  • a private sale

• 10 intended only for the use of one person or group of people:

  • a private jet

  • a private club

• 11 involving only a small group of people and kept secret:

  • Senior group executives are reported to be in private talks regarding a possible merger.

  • a private agreement/conversation

• 12 connected with your personal life, rather than your job:

  • Employees are asked to keep private emails/phone calls to a minimum.

• 13 if a company whose shares are traded on a stock market goes private, the owners buy the shares back from other shareholders in order to take control of the company themselves:

  • The Canadian utility company is well on its way to going private through a $22 billion management-led buyout.

  • The satellite company was bought by its current owners for $3.1 billion in cash after going private and shedding its intergovernmental ownership.

  • People who cannot find an NHS dentist are already going private and insurers are keen to fill in gaps in their finances.

• 14 something that is done in private is done secretly and only involves a small group of people:

  • Negotiations are underway in private.

• 15 owned or controlled by one person or company, rather than by a government:

  • The transaction would put control of a key service in private hands.

• 16 owned by one person, rather than by an organization:

  • Two original copies of the manuscript are still in private hands.

• 17 to take control of a company or organization whose shares are traded on a stock market by buying the shares back from other shareholders:

  • Two of the world's richest men combined to take the upmarket hotel chain private in a $1.95bn deal.