back door

British  

noun

1. a door at the rear or side of a building

2. 1. a means of entry to a job, position, etc, that is secret, underhand, or obtained through influence

   2. ( as modifier )

      a backdoor way of making firms pay more

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back door Idioms  

1. An entry at the rear of a building, as in Deliveries are supposed to be made at the back door only . [First half of 1500s]

2. A clandestine, unauthorized, or illegal way of operating. For example, Salesmen are constantly trying to push their products by offering special gifts through the back door . This term alludes to the fact that the back door cannot be seen from the front. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

If the administration focuses on uranium while ignoring the plutonium back door, our diplomatic strategy is dangerously incomplete.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Gil hustled to the back of the store, opened the back door to the encampment, and called out to the entire population.

From Slate • Mar. 25, 2026

Rudra Bahadur Kami returned to Nepal through a back door of Kathmandu airport in a battered coffin after working for more than a decade in Saudi Arabia to feed his family back home.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

"They tried to eat their way through the back door of my house and it had to be replaced," Earley said.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

He walked across the small yard, past Rostam, either unaware or incurious of me hiding behind him, and opened the back door.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri

Related Words

• side door