covertly

[ koh-vert-lee, koh-vert- ]

adverb

1. in a way that is concealed or disguised; secretly:

   The witness alleges that the FBI asked him to covertly record conversations with his boss in a bid to tie him to a criminal hacking conspiracy.

Word History and Origins

Origin of covertly¹

covert ( def ) + -ly

Example Sentences

She has since suggested that the United States covertly worked with Ukraine on dangerous biological pathogens and was culpable for the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline from Russia to Germany in September 2022.

From New York Times

In “The Diplomat,” Keri Russell plays a career diplomat covertly being primed to assume the role of vice president — without having to win over an electorate.

From Los Angeles Times

But the US State Department welcomed the UK's latest announcement on sanctions, saying it addressed a threat in which "Kremlin-produced disinformation was covertly placed in local outlets to appear as genuine news articles".

From BBC

Holly met MacPhail at army cadets, where he learned how to covertly follow targets and had expressed an interest in becoming a sniper.

From BBC

So he engaged a "network of proxies" to covertly advance his plot.

From Salon

Related Words

• clandestinely
• secretly
• surreptitiously