backdoor
Americannoun
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a door at the rear of a house, building, etc..
Fans were waiting by the backdoor of the theater, hoping to catch a glimpse of the band.
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a secret, furtive, or illicit manner or means.
The business has a backdoor through which the board of directors can access slush fund money.
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an indirect manner or means.
Marriage counseling was a kind of backdoor into therapy, where I finally faced my dysfunctional relationship with my mother.
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Computers. a secret access point or undocumented vulnerability in a software program, hardware component, or digital network, sometimes intentionally maintained as for remote developer access, but also sometimes created or exploited for unauthorized access by hackers.
If half of all devices have disclosed backdoors, cybersecurity experts must assume that the number of devices affected by undisclosed or malicious backdoors is much higher.
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Slang: Usually Vulgar. anus.
adjective
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Special interests pushed through a backdoor contract before the bidding period had expired.
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The immigration reform bill included backdoor amnesty for employed undocumented residents.
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Computers. relating to, using, or noting an indirect access point into a network, computer, or program.
Hackers used a Trojan horse to establish backdoor access to the mainframe.
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Slang: Vulgar. anal.
Etymology
Origin of backdoor
First recorded in 1520–30; back 1 ( def. ) + door
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.
Still, mega backdoor conversions allow people to move more money into IRAs, which otherwise have much lower contribution limits compared with employer-sponsored retirement plans.
From MarketWatch
The pair sued the city in 2024, accusing the city of “backdoor machinations” in preserving a house that doesn’t deserve to be a historic cultural monument.
From Los Angeles Times
The mega backdoor Roth won’t make you richer immediately, but it will allow your contributions to grow tax-free and to be withdrawn tax-free in retirement.
From MarketWatch
The mega backdoor Roth won’t make you richer immediately, but it will allow your contributions to grow tax-free and to be withdrawn tax-free in retirement.
From MarketWatch
She went on to raise a series of concerns including "inadequate benefit levels" and "backdoor taxation for social care support".
From BBC
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.
