From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishprivatepri‧vate1 /ˈpraɪvət/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective 1 not for the publicPRIVATE/PERSONAL for use by one person or group, not for everyone OPP public Morris has a private jet. He made some notes for his private use. Many communists objected to any form of private property.2 not government [only before noun]PRIVATE/NON-GOVERNMENT not related to, owned by, or paid for by the government OPP public a private hospital There is private ownership of property in a market economy. private educationgo private British English (=pay for medical treatment instead of getting it free at a public hospital)3 for only a fewPRIVATE/PERSONAL a private meeting, conversation etc involves only two people or a small number of people, and is not for other people to know about I need to have a private discussion with you. Are you alone? I just wanted a private word.4 secretSECRET private feelings, information, or opinions are personal or secret and not for other people to know about Jack’s private opinion was that she was selfish. Don’t read that – it’s private.5 not publicly known used about someone who is not known to the public or not working for the government or another organization a private citizen The painting was sold to a private collector. Seven police and three private individuals needed medical attention. 6 not workPRIVATE/PERSONAL separate from and not related to your work or your official position The president is paying a private visit to Europe. He enjoys everything he does in both his professional and his private life.7 quiet placeQUIET quiet and without a lot of people Why don’t we go upstairs where it’s more private?8 person [only before noun]PRIVATE/PERSONAL a private person is one who likes being alone, and does not talk much about their thoughts or feelings He’s a very private man.9 → private jokeTHESAURUSprivate if something is private, you do not want most people to know about it because it concerns your feelings, your relationships etcHe didn’t want to discuss his private life.What happens in the bedroom is strictly private.personal relating to your private life – used especially about problems, feelings, and questionsThey asked a lot of personal questions.She talked about her own personal feelings.I’d rather not talk about it – it’s personal.The singer has had a lot of problems in her personal life.secret [only before noun] used about feelings and thoughts that you do not tell anyone aboutBarclay had a secret desire to become an actor.His secret fear was that Jenny would leave him.intimate very private – used about things relating to your relationships and sexual feelingsan intimate conversationMany people share intimate details of their lives on the Internet.their intimate moments togetherinnermost [only before noun] your innermost feelings, thoughts etc are your most private onesCounselling often encourages you to reveal your innermost thoughts.be none of somebody’s business if something is none of your business, it is private and you should not ask about itIt’s none of your business how much I earn.‘Are you married?’ ‘That’s none of your business.’
Examples from the Corpus
private• I've got something to tell you. Can we go somewhere private?• Each guest has a private bathroom.• He was also reportedly considering several offers from private businesses.• It also had many of the features of a private club, operated and run for the benefit of its members.• a private college• There are four bedrooms, all with en suite or private facilities and fine views.• There are twin, double and single rooms available, all with private facilities and most with a balcony.• Brian had an irritating habit of saying, "It'll be fine!", whenever she mentioned any of her private fears.• If she undergoes surgery, it will take place in a private hospital and will be paid for by Zapatista supporters.• Private hospitals can afford to pay much higher salaries than state-run hospitals.• The government plans to sell part of the railway network to private investors.• The garden's very private - it's not overlooked by anyone.• The book contains extracts from his diary and private letters.• Susan is trying to balance her private life and her work.• Brando is a private man who almost never gives interviews to the press.• Clarence refused to comment on the state of his marriage, saying, it "is a private matter which we'd like to keep private.''• He keeps his private papers locked away in the top drawer of his desk.• After his death the author's family released many of his private papers.• Lou's a very private person - I don't know anything about her family.• He doesn't talk much about his family - he's a very private person.• private property• Do you think the teaching in private schools is better than in state schools?• If the government sells bonds to pay for its spending, interest rates rise and the private sector is squeeze.• The figures that she gave referred to comparisons with the private sector, not the national health service.• It can do this primarily by cutting its own expenditures and by raising taxes so as to curtail private spending.• The two leaders held private talks in June to try to resolve the dispute.• Guy had to obey his superiors, no matter what his private thoughts on the matter.• Earlier the Dalai Lama had spent six days in England on a private visit.private property• There was no criminal violation because the party occurred on private property.• Sons were able to inherit their father's private property.• The reasons for doing so, he felt, are to establish order and to protect private property.• The setting could be a riverbank on private property.• These things, therefore, became little by little private property.• In the material area of life this can be guaranteed only by the existence of private property rights.• Indeed, one of the justifications of private property takes as its premise the idea that property ownership confers power.• Without private property there is no freedom.• Following the closure of the line in 1964, the building became private property while the track and platform disappeared.go private• If that can not be achieved through the public sector, they will go private.• Of course, that was before we went private.• Shares jump as financial discussions get under way Saga family in bid to go private.• There is no doubt that investment in the companies which have gone private has increased, sometimes substantially.• As the inquiry proceeded Christie's changed hands, going private in May 1998.• Meanwhile the dentists say the threat to go private is a very real one.• If two gardeners hit it off, they can go private through electronic messages in a sort of letter-writing setup.• Dentists go private to avoid a pay cut.private individuals• We will maintain support for the arts and continue to develop schemes for greater sponsorship in co-operation with business and private individuals.• But at the same time, bank lending to private individuals, and credit card use, has increased.• Why don't private individuals establish the missing market through a system of bribes or compensation?• So the best way in for most private individuals is through insurance funds, investment trusts or unit trusts.• Clive's estimate was that the Company and various private individuals made £3m. out of the change of rulers.• They were private individuals or partnerships, paid by the state to provide a universal service free at the point of use.• It was too expensive for most private individuals there to send telegrams; the network was used almost exclusively by the authorities.• There were a disturbing number of private individuals who called in to say they hoped he would not be a candidate.private life• A student prying into her private life.• Countless twentieth-century dictators have been defended from their detractors by pointing out the asceticism of their private lives.• He can speak eloquently of the need to reduce the size of government and extricate it from our private lives.• There was better recognition still to come, adding professional achievement to a period of happiness in his private life.• What kind of private life could be imagined for this dried-up bundle of chilblains and nasal catarrh?• Furthermore, the individual may not want to reveal his private life in a public role.• His friends say he prefers the private life of the writer, the teacher.• They soon picked up her trail and from then on her private life was effectively over.privateprivate2 noun 1 → in private2 [countable]PMA a soldier of the lowest rank3 → privatesExamples from the Corpus
private• The victim was a 21-year-old Army private.• But unlike her workmates her privates were threatened in other quarters.• The same Southern private wrote graphically of another problem he and his comrades had to contend with, that of body lice.• The private was the nest of domestic virtues: the public was the arena of prostitution, of vice on the streets.From Longman Business Dictionaryprivatepri‧vate /ˈpraɪvət/ adjective [only before a noun]1private property, businesses, activities etc are owned or paid for by people and companies, rather than the governmentThey transferred ownership of thousands of companies from the state to the private sector (=the part of the economy not owned by the government).Investment bankers say that private money should be used for new municipal projects.private propertyprivate pensions —privately adverbJoe Sims, a former Justice Department lawyer who now practices privatelya privately run prisonprivately operated toll roads2FINANCE involving something that is sold directly to people or organizations, without being offered openly for anyone to buyThe company has raised $50 million in a private placement arranged by Kemper Financial Services.Goldman will seek new sources of capital through a private investment offering.a private sale of 70 million shares, to be offered to investment institutions at A$2.55 each —privately adverbThe banks will privately place the shares with individual investors.He will decide which of his paintings will be sold privately and which works will be sold at auction.3in private hands not belonging to the governmentSlovak officials approved proposals to put 200 companies in private hands.4in private hands belonging to a member of the public rather than to an organizationThere are more than 100 million handguns in private hands in the US.5go private (also turn private) if a government-owned organization goes or turns private, it is sold to investorsIberia Airlines will be ready to go private next year.Poland’s remaining state enterprises have put forward plans to turn private. 6go private British English to pay for medical treatment instead of getting it free at a public hospital7a private company does not make its shares available for anyone to buy on a stockmarketCargill, the largest private company in the US, wants to stay that way. Says Mr West, a vice president: ‘We’ll go public (=sell shares on the stockmarket) the week after snowballs form in hell.’ —privately adverbCortisol Medical Research Inc., a privately-held (=privately-owned) drug manufacturera privately-funded research program8go private if a company with shares on the stockmarket goes private, its owners buy back those shares from existing shareholders so that it becomes privately ownedThe majority of companies that went private in the last few years will become public again by reselling stock.9take a company private if a company’s owners take it private, they buy back all shares from existing shareholdersThe company’s chairman plans to take the company private through a buy-out of the 74% of shares he doesn’t already own.10only for use by one particular person or group, not for everyonea private roadprivate accommodation11a private meeting, agreement, conversation etc involves only a small number of people and is kept secretMr. Miscio rose to protest, saying ‘This is a private meeting’.The visit was preceded by a private audience (=a meeting with someone important) for the chairmen. —privately adverbHe and his lawyers will be permitted to meet privately at the Oakland jail.Origin private1 (1300-1400) Latin privatus, past participle of privare; → DEPRIVE 