hidden agenda

American

noun

an often duplicitously undisclosed plan or motive.

hidden agenda British

noun

a hidden motive or intention behind an overt action, policy, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hidden agenda

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

hidden agenda

A spokeswoman for the Israeli embassy said Israel shares intelligence with the U.S. because of the close partnership between the two countries and not to advocate for a hidden agenda like advocating for war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

“It is a rejection of the belief that there is some sort of hidden agenda of indoctrination. None of that is happening.”

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

It appears, then, that copyright violation—in the old-fashioned as well as newfangled meaning of the term—may be a part of Meta’s hidden agenda.

From Slate ● Sep. 26, 2023

Scottish DJ and producer Ewan McVicar said Roy was as "one of the good ones, unmatched positive energy always and no hidden agenda just a good guy".

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2022

I look back down at the drawing, rotating his questions in my mind like I’m searching for their hidden agenda.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023