mission creep

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mis·sion creep • n. a gradual shift in objectives during the course of a military campaign, often resulting in an unplanned long-term commitment. ∎  such a development in a nonmilitary context, resulting in undesirable policies or consequences: the IMF's mission creep has been consistently endorsed by the Treasury Department as a way of furthering U.S. economic foreign policy.

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mission creep

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