behind the scenes

1 of 2

phrase

1

: out of public view

also : in secret

2

: in a position to see the hidden workings

… taken behind the scenes and told just how in fact the actual government … has operated …

—William Clark

behind-the-scenes

2 of 2

adjective

be·​hind-the-scenes bi-ˈhīnd-ṯẖə-ˈsēnz 

bē-

1

: being or working out of public view or in secret

behind-the-scenes lobbying for more money

a behind-the-scenes player

2

: revealing or reporting the hidden workings

a behind-the-scenes account

a behind-the-scenes glimpse

Synonyms of behind the scenes

Adjective

• confidential
• secret
• private

Examples of behind the scenes in a Sentence

Adjective

a tell-all book about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that got him the vice presidential nomination

behind-the-scenes negotiations that resulted in the hostages being released unharmed

Recent Examples on the Web

Phrase

That year, Dylan had been working on this debut behind the scenes. — Atoosa Moinzadeh, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2026

Below, The Hollywood Reporter shares exclusive behind the scenes photos of Reinhart and Bateman recording Olympus U. — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Or at least had an active Tumblr account in the 2010s — where Durham’s intimate behind-the-scenes photographs of Coppola’s third feature film had fostered a cult audience. — Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026

Four years ago, Pugh’s movie Don’t Worry Darling was the talk of the Venice Film Festival due to rumored behind-the-scenes drama and a messy rollout, including a press conference Pugh missed—allegedly due to a scheduling conflict. — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 25 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Phrase

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for behind the scenes

• phenothiazines
• achenes
• alkenes
• amines
• benzenes
• canteens
• convenes
• cosines
• cuisines
• eumenes
• hellenes
• latrines