covertly

Definition of covertlynext

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of covertly In addition, Homeland Security was apparently investigating nonprofits and other organizations that help get out the vote, including interrogating the staff and covertly infiltrating their operations, according to court documents. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Either form can be easily and covertly placed into an unsuspecting person’s beverage or food. — Christopher P. Holstege, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026 While renting a charming Mediterranean Revival-style villa in the Hollywood Hills, the FBI tapped her phone lines and the CIA covertly intercepted and opened her mail. — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026 That’s progress but doesn’t really address people’s primary concerns about the glasses being used to covertly record people in public. — Victoria Song, The Verge, 23 Sep. 2026 Because submarines can operate covertly for extended periods, additional missile capacity can give commanders greater flexibility while keeping the launch platform difficult to detect. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026 Anthropic feared that these researchers were covertly using Claude to create bioweapons. — Kate Rooney,isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 11 Sep. 2026 Its applications in education – whether that’s been district-sanctioned or students using it covertly to finish homework – have also grown. — Austin Horn, Miami Herald, 2 Sep. 2026 Franklin was even humping someone, while Bodhi was covertly trying to eat his own poop. — Mimi Montgomery, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for covertly
Adverb
  • In 1983, Baker and Casey became embroiled in a public dispute over who had clandestinely obtained Jimmy Carter’s briefing book for the 1980 Presidential debate.
    — Bob Woodward, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Because Iran is a theocratic dictatorship that routinely arrests and in some cases executes journalists, Western reporters hoping to cover the country must either work clandestinely or submit to government supervision.
    — James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 29 July 2026
Adverb
  • Fro-yo heads will tell you, conspiratorially, that Butterfield Market is rumored to have the same supplier as Forty Carrots, the café tucked away on the seventh floor of Bloomingdale’s which claims to have introduced frozen yogurt to New York City some fifty years ago.
    — Helen Rosner, New Yorker, 28 June 2026
  • That Hanson so could faithfully and conspiratorially convey that in her naturalistic, uncontrived images came from a place of friendship.
    — Mark Holgate, Vogue, 5 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • The centerpiece of the government’s case is that the defendants surreptitiously drugged women.
    — Kara Scannell, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • For years, scammers would surreptitiously install skimming devices on card readers at ATMs, gas pumps and corner stores.
    — Eli Hager, ProPublica, 13 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Covertly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/covertly. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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