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
Steve KemperThe intricate labor … required courage and stealth.—Sue M. Halpern
Sue M. HalpernAs we walked closer we began treading with exaggerated stealth until we came very close …—Dorothy Dimsdale
Dorothy DimsdaleA thief does his work in secret and by stealth.—Harry Shaw
Harry Shaw2
: 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
1
: intended not to attract attention : stealthy
a stealth campaign
… the company has operated in stealth mode until now.—Steve Silberman
Steve SilbermanHer team seemed to communicate with a secret stealth language …—E. L. Konigsburg
see also stealth entry 1 sense 2
E. L. Konigsburg2
medical
: involving or caused by an asymptomatic or presymptomatic infectious individual : silent sense 6b
stealth spread/transmission of a contagious disease
Synonyms
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
Andrew Webster, The Verge, 21 Nov. 2024
Catch up quick: Aquaria came out of stealth earlier this year and was founded in 2021 by Sheng and his brother Eric.
—Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
David Hambling, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
While Hoyer mostly has been working in stealth mode on revamping the Cubs roster for the 2025 season, Kiermaier, the team’s head groundskeeper, has been getting Wrigley Field’s field ready for a couple of Northwestern football games.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stealth 
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Noun
Here’s how creative director Drew Rechner explains the changes:
Our first step in expanding player choice is removing forced stealth from almost all quest objectives.
—Andrew Webster, The Verge, 21 Nov. 2024
Catch up quick: Aquaria came out of stealth earlier this year and was founded in 2021 by Sheng and his brother Eric.
—Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024
Adjective
The benefits of limitations of stealth technology are a huge and active field of discussion.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
While Hoyer mostly has been working in stealth mode on revamping the Cubs roster for the 2025 season, Kiermaier, the team’s head groundskeeper, has been getting Wrigley Field’s field ready for a couple of Northwestern football games.
—Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for stealth
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Dictionary Entries Near stealth
Cite this Entry
“Stealth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stealth. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stealth
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
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