secondary
adjective
sec·ond·ary
| \ ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē
\
\
Definition of secondary
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: of second rank, importance, or value
b
: of, relating to, or constituting the second strongest of the three or four degrees of stress recognized by most linguists
the fourth syllable of basketball team carries secondary stress
c
of a tense
: expressive of past time
2a
: immediately derived from something original, primary, or basic
b
: of, relating to, or being the induced current or its circuit in an induction coil or transformer
secondary voltage
c
: characterized by or resulting from the substitution of two atoms or groups in a molecule
a secondary salt
especially
: being, characterized by, or attached to a carbon atom having bonds to two other carbon atoms
d(1)
: not first in order of occurrence or development
(2)
: dependent or consequent on another disease or condition
secondary hypertension
(3)
: produced by activity of formative tissue and especially cambium other than that at a growing point
secondary growth secondary phloem
3a
: of, relating to, or being the second order or stage in a series
b
: of, relating to, or being the second segment of the wing of a bird or the quills of this segment
c
: of or relating to a secondary school
secondary education
secondary
noun
plural secondaries
Definition of secondary (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: one occupying a subordinate or auxiliary position rather than that of a principal
2
: a defensive football backfield
3
: the coil through which the secondary current passes in an induction coil or transformer
— called also secondary coil
4
: any of the quill feathers of the forearm of a bird — see wing illustration
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Other Words from secondary
Adjective
secondarily
\ ˌse-kən-ˈder-ə-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
secondariness
\ ˈse-kən-ˌder-ē-nəs
\
noun
\
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for secondary
Synonyms: Adjective
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of secondary in a Sentence
Adjective
Winning is secondary—we play for the fun of the sport. There are some secondary issues which must be taken into account as well. I want a car that's reliable; the color is of secondary importance. The secondary roads are indicated on the map with a green line. Better gas mileage is a secondary benefit of reduced speed limits.Noun
The team has a strong secondary.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Founded in 1929, Fenwick High School is a Dominican college preparatory secondary institution with a co-educational enrollment of about 1,200 students. — Steve Schering, chicagotribune.com, "Fenwick breaks ground on new 350-space on-campus parking garage," 16 Aug. 2019 The Broncos secondary might have won the award for the most vociferous position group. — Eric Branch, SFChronicle.com, "49ers’ practice report: Garoppolo rebounds from 5-INT disaster," 16 Aug. 2019 This defense is still built on its four-man pass rush, which allows the secondary to be aggressive. — Andy Benoit, SI.com, "DeSean Jackson Adds Value to the Eagles' Downfield Passing Attack," 15 Aug. 2019 As CBSNews notes, in New York there only needs to be about 100 signatures for local areas to consider a secondary street name. — Breanna Edwards, Essence, "Petition To Rename Trump Tower ‘Obama Avenue’ Receives 270,000 Signatures," 15 Aug. 2019 The defense will play man-to-man in the secondary and lots of blitzes up front. — Terry Monahan, San Diego Union-Tribune, "2019 Ocean League prep football preview," 14 Aug. 2019 But bonds can also be bought and sold on secondary markets over time. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "The yield curve inversion panic, explained," 14 Aug. 2019 Those reporting methamphetamine as their secondary substance went from just 1 in fiscal year 2017 to 25 this year. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Meth has finally taken hold in Massachusetts," 13 Aug. 2019 Also returning on defense are senior Tysin Green and junior Alex Reyes in the secondary, junior lineman Isaiah Harwell and senior linebacker Tyler Goodall. — Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star, "High school football preview: A closer look at Class 6A," 12 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
In the defensive secondary will be junior John Alajijian, senior Diego Castellon, Simmons and Aldana-Pere. — Jeff Tully, Burbank Leader, "Football Preview: Burroughs hoping bounce-back will lead to playoff berth," 16 Aug. 2019 Wright, who is backing up Thomas Graham Jr. at field cornerback, would be in position to contribute by default given the lack of returning depth in the Oregon secondary. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon expects ‘tremendously impactful’ season from freshman CB Mykael Wright," 10 Aug. 2019 The defensive secondary took a hit, losing Tyrann Mathieu (free agency), Kareem Jackson (free agency) and Andre Hal (retirement). — Nat Newell, Indianapolis Star, "Ranking the Colts' 2019 opponents," 12 July 2019 Like Alabama’s Diggs, the speedy Igbinoghene began his college career on offense before shifting to the defensive secondary. — Creg Stephenson | Cstephenson@al.com, al, "AL.com All-Access: Give me your 2019 breakout players for Alabama, Auburn," 25 July 2019 Jon Hale, Louisville Courier Journal LEXINGTON — The task of replacing its entire starting secondary just grew a little more difficult for Kentucky football. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "Kentucky football safety Davonte Robinson to miss 2019 season with injury," 18 July 2019 Big-plays allowance A young secondary was a glaring issue facing Alabama’s defense entering the 2018 season. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al.com, "What Alabama football should fix in 2019," 11 July 2019 Defensively, the South also has a talented secondary. — Phil Jensen, The Mercury News, "Charlie Wedemeyer game: Former all-star now North coach 15 years later," 11 July 2019 Our secondary gets challenged every day, so this becomes second-nature to them. — Andrew Turner, latimes.com, "Mater Dei four-peats, Edison grows in Battle at the Beach passing tournament," 29 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'secondary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for secondary
secondary
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of secondary
(Entry 1 of 2)
: not as important or valuable as something else
: of or relating to education of students who have completed primary school
: caused by or coming from something else