mission creep

noun

1. the tendency for a task, esp a military operation, to become unintentionally wider in scope than its initial objectives

Example Sentences

When you really break down “Alien,” though, you get a riveting story about workplace inequality and the perils of mission creep.

From Salon

“As with any program, money continues to grow. I always call it mission creep, but suddenly you look around and you’re going, ‘Why are we doing this?

From Los Angeles Times

He says the court has "taken on new powers. There's been mission creep...It does need to reform or we should leave."

From BBC

The company's blog post said it would also "undo the mission creep" of rules and policies - highlighting removal of restrictions on subjects including "immigration, gender and gender identity" - saying these have stemmed political discussion and debate.

From BBC

We could call it mission creep.

From Salon