hidden agenda
Americannoun
noun
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.
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
There’s no secrets, no hidden agenda, no questions to be asked.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2023
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
