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

But, behind the scenes, King held deep secrets and struggled with her own identity. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026

The deal took months of negotiations behind the scenes between government ministries, the museum, and the Thyssen family. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Adjective

While there has been some behind-the-scenes tension, there has been little outward pushback to his return to the industry. — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026

Fleur du Mal released a behind-the-scenes photo from 2017 of a male photographer standing over a female model to take a shot. — Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 7 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