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

"I opened the back door and looked up to see there were flames coming through the roof," Drummond said.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 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

“We think of this as having a bouncer at the front door looking at what’s coming in, and then another bouncer at the back door being like, ‘Well, what’s going out?’”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 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

Once he was snoring deeply, they tiptoed past his bedroom, down the stairs, and out the back door.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Related Words

• side door