behind-the-scenes

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

• confidential
• esoteric
• hush-hush
• hushed
• inside
• intimate
• nonpublic
• private
• privy
• secret

Examples of behind-the-scenes in a Sentence

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

However, the behind-the-scenes story is entirely different. —Phil Portman, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

Curran shared a behind-the-scenes video of Richie’s French bob on his Instagram account, where the duo shared some background on the new look. —Ariana Yaptangco, Glamour, 23 June 2025

The company will also host webinars giving a behind-the-scenes look at game development aimed at developers new to the children’s education space. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 23 June 2025

MacDonough’s rulings came about after days of behind-the-scenes meetings between her office and Senate staff. —Nik Popli, Time, 23 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1850, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for behind-the-scenes

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