What does SEC stand for? The answer hinges on the page in front of you. In news about money, companies and investing, SEC is the Securities and Exchange Commission, the federal agency that oversees the stock and bond markets. On a sports page, a scoreboard or a football schedule, SEC means the Southeastern Conference, a college athletic league of large universities, most of them in the South.
A third use is smaller: lowercase sec is a common short form for second, as in "30 sec." Below, the agency and the league each get a full explanation, plus a short checklist for sorting them out when a headline is vague.
Quick facts
Most common meaning
Securities and Exchange CommissionIn sports
Southeastern ConferenceLowercase sec
Second (time), also secant in mathType
Initialism, said S E CAgency created
1934, by an act of CongressConference founded
1932Related terms
What does SEC stand for? The main meanings
| Where you see it | Stands for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Business news, investing | Securities and Exchange Commission | "The company filed its annual report with the SEC." |
| College sports | Southeastern Conference | "Two SEC teams meet in the title game." |
| Timers, recipes, workouts | Second (sec) | "Hold the plank for 45 sec." |
| Math class | Secant (sec) | "sec x equals 1 over cos x" |
| Titles and documents | Secretary or section (Sec.) | "See Sec. 4 of the contract." |
In capital letters, SEC is said as three letters, S E C, so it is an initialism. Lowercase sec is usually read aloud as the full word "second."
The Securities and Exchange Commission
Congress created the agency in 1934, in the years after the stock market crash of 1929, to bring rules and openness to the markets. It is an independent federal agency based in Washington, D.C., led by five commissioners, each nominated by the President and approved in a Senate vote. By law, no more than three of the five may belong to the same political party.
Its work falls into three broad goals: protect investors, keep markets fair and orderly, and help businesses raise money in honest ways. In practice that means:
- Requiring public companies to share financial reports, such as the yearly 10-K and quarterly 10-Q.
- Reviewing companies that sell stock to the public for the first time, as in an IPO.
- Overseeing stock exchanges, brokers, investment advisers and funds such as ETFs.
- Bringing civil cases against fraud and insider trading.
The SEC does not insure your account or guarantee that an investment will make money. Bank deposits are covered by a different agency, the FDIC.
What does SEC stand for in football?
In football talk, SEC is the Southeastern Conference, formed in 1932 and headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. Its member schools include large state universities such as Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Tennessee, along with others across the South and nearby states. The conference competes in many sports under the NCAA, but its football teams draw the most attention, with huge stadiums and a championship game each December.
A sports headline: "SEC title game set for Saturday in Atlanta." This is about the conference championship, not the federal agency, and the location and the word "game" make that clear right away.
Fans also use "SEC country" for the region where these schools play, and "SEC speed" as a boast about fast players.
Telling the meanings apart
- Look at the topic. Filings, fraud, stocks and companies point to the agency. Teams, games, rankings and coaches point to the conference.
- Check the capitals. SEC in all capitals is the agency or the conference. Lowercase sec is almost always the unit of time.
- Watch for a period. Sec. with a period is usually Secretary or Section.
For more letters from Washington, see the government acronyms section.
SEC in sentences
- "The startup must register its stock offering with the SEC."
- "Investors can read the company's filings on the SEC's public database."
- "Which SEC school has the loudest stadium?"
- "Rest 60 sec between sets."
- "The memo cites Sec. 2 of the employee handbook."
Questions people ask
What does SEC stand for in football?
In football it stands for the Southeastern Conference, a college athletic conference founded in 1932. Its schools are mostly large universities in the southern United States.
What does the SEC do?
The Securities and Exchange Commission writes and enforces rules for stock and bond markets. It requires public companies to report their finances and takes action against investment fraud.
Is the SEC a government agency?
The commission is. It is an independent arm of the federal government, created by Congress in 1934. The Southeastern Conference, by contrast, is a private sports organization.
What does sec mean in text?
In a text, sec usually means second, as in "one sec" for "wait a moment." Neither the regulator nor the league is involved in that casual use.
How do you pronounce SEC?
Say the letters, S E C. Some sports fans say "sec" like the word, but letter by letter is the standard way.