back room

American  

Or backroom

noun

back rooms plural

1. a room located in the rear, especially one used only by certain people.

2. a place where powerful or influential persons, especially politicians, meet to plan secretly or from which they exercise control in an indirect manner.

   The candidate for mayor was chosen in the precincts' back rooms.

---

back room British  

noun

1. 1. a place where research or planning is done, esp secret research in wartime

   2. ( as modifier )

      back-room boys

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• back rooms
  plural

Etymology

Origin of back room

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

back room

The family lived in a back room of the establishment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The back room of Flod’s studio is like a butcher’s walk-in fridge, where dozens more masks hang from the ceiling, each more outlandish than the last.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

He’s heavier than the largest T. Rex ever unearthed, so huge that his magnificent tusks and skull had to be stored separately, in a back room.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

Uncertainty around Najee Harris’ return still looms, creating a domino effect in the running back room.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2025

Holly and I only had a few free moments after closing to set up the back room for her first class.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry