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• behind the scenes
  behind the scenes

  idiom

  in secret or in private.
• behind-the-scenes
  behind-the-scenes

  adjective

  happening or conducted out of view of the general public.

behind the scenes

¹ American  

[bih-hahynd thuh seenz] / bɪˈhaɪnd ðə ˈsinz /

idiom

1. in secret or in private.

   Unbeknownst to most people, the group manipulated the survey results from behind the scenes.

2. in a part of a show, production, organization, etc., that is not visible to the public; backstage.

   Have you ever wondered what really happens behind the scenes at a rock concert?

   Join us as we take you behind the scenes of our photo shoot and discuss some of the products used.

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behind-the-scenes ² American  

[bih-hahynd-thuh-seenz] / bɪˈhaɪnd ðəˈsinz /

adjective

1. happening or conducted out of view of the general public.

   The behind-the-scenes preparations made the convention a huge success.

2. held or kept privately by or among a few key or influential people.

   There are rumors of behind-the-scenes negotiations taking place that may change international laws on nuclear power.

3. occurring backstage.

   I could hear the behind-the-scenes activities of the stage crew.

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behind the scenes More Idioms  

1. In secret or private, away from public view, as in His struggle for the top position took place strictly behind the scenes. This term alludes to the various activities that go on behind the curtain in theaters, out of the audience's view. [Late 1700s] Also see behind closed doors.

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Etymology

Origin of behind the scenes¹

First recorded in 1660–70

Origin of behind-the-scenes²

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

behind the scenes behind-the-scenes

Bastion issues white-label stablecoins for other businesses, and manages the custody of holding reserves and customer wallets behind the scenes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In other words, the talks may already be happening behind the scenes, even if there isn’t yet a public breakthrough or a clear timeline.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

The first female White House chief of staff, Wiles has been widely credited with driving Trump's second presidency forward behind the scenes.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Leading up to the flagship’s opening, the community it would come to cultivate over the following two years was already taking shape behind the scenes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

At least for the moment, it was also important that this aid remain behind the scenes.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Sowing behind-the-scenes stories about how he’s actually approaching it like a responsible statesman could play to his advantage.

From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026

My colleague Elliot Kaufman is out with his behind-the-scenes book account of Israel’s post-Oct.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

Some within Reform, who are full of admiration for Nigel Farage's chutzpah and gift as a communicator, are desperate to see a behind-the-scenes cultural shift that minimises the chances of further embarrassments.

From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026

He shared behind-the-scenes footage of the recording session and said that he “didn’t expect to travel so far and hear ‘Dale Don Dale’ as a ringtone on almost every phone” in the city.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

When he seemed to get really happy, I hastily added, “Because I want to get that behind-the-scenes footage we were talking about.”

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon