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

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

She said it was disappointing to see a number of hereditary peers returning to the Lords "by the back door".

From BBC • Mar. 13, 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

"I keep the back door locked at all times," she said, adding she keeps the key out of the way of her children because she's "petrified" they'll leave the door open.

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

I hid my net behind a big lilac bush in Grandma’s front yard, walked around the house, and came in through the back door.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Related Words

• side door