back door
Britishnoun
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a door at the rear or side of a building
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a means of entry to a job, position, etc, that is secret, underhand, or obtained through influence
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( as modifier )
a backdoor way of making firms pay more
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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]
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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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Having them at the back door has been such a blessing for us."
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Quintero made a phone call before they slipped through an unlocked back door.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Fundamental weighting de-emphasizes high market values in favor of high accounting values, a back door to value and profitability tilts.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
It was a back door into America, operating at an industrial scale.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
Pushing our chairs back, we both grabbed our bonnets, blathered something to Mrs. Drysdale about getting some fresh air, and skittered out the back door.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
