secret service

noun

1
: a governmental service of a secret nature
2
Secret Service : a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security chiefly in charge of stopping crimes against the nation's financial system and protecting the president and other national officials and visiting world leaders

Examples of secret service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web And, apparently, to delight the Ted Lasso-loving members of the secret service. Clark Collis, EW.com, 25 Apr. 2023 Putin is trying to restore the glory of Stalin’s formidable secret service. Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 27 Dec. 2023 But soon, the German secret service comes knocking. Marta Balaga, Variety, 7 Oct. 2023 By 1975, President Balaguer had the military, the élites, the police, the campesinos, the Church, and even the U.S. secret services under his little heel. Junot Díaz, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 Notably, in 2014, two Belgian Malinois with the secret service brought down a White House intruder, who had climbed over the gates. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023 Bit by bit, a network of intrigue, greed and power games unfolded, reaching into the highest circles of society and protected by the Spanish secret service CNI to this day. Ed Meza, Variety, 16 Apr. 2023 One spy, sporting a trenchcoat, a wide-brimmed G-Man fedora, and secret service shades—a collection of clichéd noir signifiers, all in stark black—stands out in a field with a bucket of water. Gyasi Hall, Longreads, 12 Sep. 2023 Featuring a terrifying car chase going the wrong way on a freeway, the film stars William Peterson as a secret service agent determined to bring down a counterfeiter played by Willem Dafoe. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'secret service.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1706, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of secret service was in 1706

Dictionary Entries Near secret service

Cite this Entry

“Secret service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secret%20service. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Secret Service

noun
: a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security chiefly in charge of stopping crimes against the nation's financial system and protecting the president and other national and visiting world leaders
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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