Word.ws English Dictionary

on a need-to-know basis

on a need-to-know basis adverb: remaining secret or hidden until it is needed to be known (by a particular party).

Adverb

on a need-to-know basis (not comparable)

  1. remaining secret or hidden until it is needed to be known (by a particular party).

Questions about on a need-to-know basis

What does on a need-to-know basis mean?
On a need-to-know basis means remaining secret or hidden until it is needed to be known (by a particular party).
What part of speech is on a need-to-know basis?
On a need-to-know basis is an adverb.

Words near on a need-to-know basis in the dictionary

  1. on a kick
  2. on a lark
  3. on a loose end
  4. on a losing wicket
  5. on a mission
  6. on a need-to-know basis
  7. on a pair
  8. on a par
  9. on a pinch
  10. on a plate
  11. on a platter

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: on a need-to-know basis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “on a need-to-know basis.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/on_a_need-to-know_basis. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.