hidden hand

British

noun

an unknown force or influence believed to be the cause of certain, often unfortunate, events

"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

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.

You’re talking about the hidden hand of heat, which I hadn’t really considered.

From Slate • Jul. 12, 2023

He's continued to aim at me and the BBC, describing my reporting and the media reaction as being directed by a "hidden hand" which is desperate to silence the truth.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2023

“I don’t know if there was a connection, a hidden hand, if this had been set up,” he said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 15, 2022

The usually hidden hand that’s intended to help citizens survive and prosper was suddenly visible.

From New York Times • Jun. 25, 2020

He had been since Caesar's death the trusty agent and the intimate adviser of Augustus; a hidden hand, directing the most delicate manoeuvres of his master.

From Horace by Tuckwell, William

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