covert

covert

I

cov‧ert¹ /ˈkʌvət, ˈkəʊvɜːt $ ˈkoʊvərt/ adjectivesecret or hidden
   OPP  overt:
    covert operations
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ secret known about by only a few people, who have agreed not to tell anyone else: a secret meeting place | The details of the proposal must remain secret.
   ▪ confidential used about information, especially in business or government, that is secret and not intended to be shown or told to other people: a highly confidential report | Employees’ personal details are treated as strictly confidential.
   ▪ classified used about information that the government has ordered to be kept secret from most people: He was accused of passing on classified information to the Russians in the 1950s.
   ▪ sensitive used about information that is kept secret because there would be problems if the wrong people knew it: A teenager managed to hack into sensitive US Air Force files.
   ▪ covert [only before noun] used about things that are done secretly, especially by a government or official organization: a CIA covert operation
   ▪ undercover [usually before noun] used about things that are done secretly by the police in order to catch criminals or find out information: Detectives arrested the suspect after a five-day undercover operation.
   ▪ underground an underground organization or newspaper is one that operates or is produced secretly and opposes the government: Her father was a member of the underground resistance movement in France during World War II.
   ▪ clandestine /klænˈdestən, klænˈdestɪn/ secret and often illegal or immoral: clandestine meetings | his involvement in a clandestine operation to sell arms to Iran | a clandestine love affair
   ▪ hush-hush informal used about information or activities that are kept officially secret: He was put in charge of some hush-hush military project. | I’ve no idea what he does – it’s all very hush-hush.

II

covert² noun [countable]
a group of thick bushes where animals can hide