mission creep

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The gradual growth of a project's aims beyond what was first planned, often making it harder to finish.

   Grammar: Uncountable: avoid mission creep.

   Patterns

   • mission creep in something

   The team suffered from mission creep and kept adding features.

   Military leaders warned of mission creep in the war.

   Clear goals help prevent mission creep.

2. 2noununcountablemilitary

   In military or political contexts, the slow expansion of a limited operation into a larger one.

   Grammar: Often used by journalists describing interventions.

   Patterns

   • mission creep in a campaign

   Critics feared mission creep after more troops were sent.

   The peacekeeping force drifted into mission creep.

Common combinations

suffer from mission creep

The project suffered from mission creep.

avoid mission creep

Managers should avoid mission creep.

risk of mission creep

There is a risk of mission creep.

guard against mission creep

Set limits to guard against mission creep.

warn of mission creep

Analysts warned of mission creep.

Synonyms and how they differ

scope creep

Scope creep is the usual term in business projects, while mission creep is more common in military talk.

escalation

Escalation means a sharp increase, often in conflict.

overreach

Overreach means going beyond proper limits at once.

Word family

creep verb

To move slowly and gradually.

Commonly confused: mission creep or scope creep?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “mission creep”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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