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mission creep

British

noun

the tendency for a task, esp a military operation, to become unintentionally wider in scope than its initial objectives

"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.

He has long criticized the Fed’s political mission creep and understands stable prices are a prerequisite for broad-based prosperity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

When you really break down “Alien,” though, you get a riveting story about workplace inequality and the perils of mission creep.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2025

“The fact is, police technology constantly experiences mission creep — meaning equipment reserved only for specific or extreme circumstances ends up being used in increasingly everyday or casual ways,” wrote EFF policy analyst Matthew Guariglia.

From Washington Times • Dec. 1, 2022

The term “quarantine” experienced mission creep in 2020, used for everything from closed-off hospital wards to healthy people working from home.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2021

Open Democracy, which labels Palantir a "spy-tech" company, argued this clause was "mission creep" and needed public consultation.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2021

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