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.

“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

So free speech does not mean you abuse that freedom and tell people whatever you want because you have a hidden agenda.

From Salon • Feb. 26, 2023

“There wasn’t a hidden agenda or any malice behind it.”

From New York Times • May 16, 2021

What if it pursued a hidden agenda against the wishes of the people?

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

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