stealth

1 of 2

noun

1
: a cautious, unobtrusive, and secretive way of moving or proceeding intended to avoid detection
Makos, among the fastest of sharks, chase down their prey. Slower species … rely on stealth and explosive power.Steve Kemper
The intricate labor … required courage and stealth.Sue M. Halpern
As we walked closer we began treading with exaggerated stealth until we came very close …Dorothy Dimsdale
A thief does his work in secret and by stealth.Harry Shaw
2
: an aircraft-design characteristic consisting of oblique angular construction and avoidance of vertical surfaces that is intended to produce a very weak radar return
usually used before another noun
a stealth bomber/fighter
stealth aircraft
stealth technology
3
a
archaic : theft
b
obsolete : something stolen

stealth

2 of 2

adjective

1
: intended not to attract attention : stealthy
a stealth campaign
… the company has operated in stealth mode until now.Steve Silberman
Her team seemed to communicate with a secret stealth language …E. L. Konigsburg
see also stealth entry 1 sense 2
2
medical : involving or caused by an asymptomatic or presymptomatic infectious individual : silent sense 6b
stealth spread/transmission of a contagious disease

Examples of stealth in a Sentence

Noun The fox uses stealth and cunning to hunt its prey. Adjective the SWAT team carried out a stealth raid on the house, which was believed to be harboring a terrorist cell
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Founded by a handful of prominent AI industry names, the company is emerging from stealth this week, and has raised seed funding from Microsoft Corp.’s venture capital fund, M12, and Eric Schmidt’s First Spark Ventures. Rachel Metz, Fortune, 29 Feb. 2024 There’s stealth in Garrone’s approach: for the most part, the story sticks to a low-key, rough-hewn verisimilitude. Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 Although Israel has earned a reputation for ruthless efficiency and stealth in taking out its enemies, its spies also have made devastating mistakes over the years and suffered embarrassing failures. Keir Simmons, NBC News, 9 Jan. 2024 The company, brought out of stealth by Forbes last year, is commercializing extensive research by Ohio State University geologist Tom Darrah, its CTO and cofounder. Alan Ohnsman, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024 The hackle feather tails also hide the trebles, providing a bit of extra stealth and flutter. Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024 The two-tone steel and charcoal gray design of the ARC strikes the perfect balance between stealth and sleek. By sunset, Sunset Magazine, 13 Nov. 2023 Thankfully, the team at Insomniac seem to have realized this, creating very few scenarios where the stealth is forced outside of mini-game sequences and, of course, Mary Jane. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2023 In addition to the performance mode, the update adds things stealth takedowns, more enemies in the open world, some changes to controller settings, improvements to screen narration, and a lot more. Jay Peters, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2023
Adjective
Secretly, Henry had been in the United States after arriving from Nairobi, Kenya over the weekend, negotiating a stealth return home with diplomats from the neighboring Dominican Republic. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2024 Several countries—including China, France, India, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—are currently working on stealth combat drones. Paul Scharre, Foreign Affairs, 29 Feb. 2024 According to reports, one immense upgrade for the B-21 is its stealth coating system. Dave Deptula, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 There’s also a stealth mechanic where Peach must hide in tall grass or be camouflaged against surfaces to avoid detection. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2024 Silent Hill, the town in desperate need of a city council or something, showed up during PlayStation’s State of Play in a big way with two new trailers and a stealth drop of a new, free-to-play game. Ash Parrish, The Verge, 31 Jan. 2024 Cozy Bear was behind the SolarWinds breach and focuses stealth intelligence-gathering on Western governments, IT service providers and think tanks in the U.S. and Europe. Frank Bajak, Fortune, 25 Jan. 2024 The latest frontier in the world of stealth wealth is hotel merchandise, The New York Times reported on Wednesday. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024 The pregnant star hit the Grammy Awards red carpet and brought her classic, stealth wealth aesthetic to maternity dressing in a black Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello gown. Brittany Talarico, Peoplemag, 5 Feb. 2024

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

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English stelthe; akin to Old English stelan to steal

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3a

Adjective

1979, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stealth was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near stealth

Cite this Entry

“Stealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stealth. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stealth

1 of 2 noun
1
: sly or secret action
2
: a design style intended to make an aircraft difficult to detect by radar

stealth

2 of 2 adjective
: intended not to attract attention : stealthy sense 2
a stealth campaign

More from Merriam-Webster on stealth

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