# mission creep

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/mission-creep
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Gradual unplanned expansion of the objectives, scope, and/or cost of a project, especially a military mission.

## Examples

- The project is suffering from mission creep.
- We started with a simple website, but constant new requests have led to serious mission creep.
- The committee warned that without strict oversight, the initiative would inevitably succumb to mission creep, eventually exhausting the entire budget.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.