secret society

noun

: any of various oath-bound societies often devoted to brotherhood, moral discipline, and mutual assistance

Examples of secret society in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Many of them had been members of a secret society known as the Apostles. — Bryn Stole, Christian Science Monitor, 16 June 2026 The Knox is Boston's most elusive secret society. — Danielle Parker, CBS News, 2 Apr. 2026 This choice entangles Iris with Geoff and his father, a kind of archivist for a shadowy secret society, and a hapless man. — John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026 The store was run by Sam Yuen, head of one of Los Angeles’ tongs, which were secret societies made up of men from China who often dabbled in illicit activities. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for secret society

Word History

First Known Use

1821, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of secret society was in 1821

Rhymes for secret society

See All Rhymes for secret society

Browse Nearby Words

secret service
secret society
secret to someone's success
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Secret society.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/secret%20society. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on secret society

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about secret society

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All