backdoor

[ bak-dawr ]

/ ˈbækˈdɔr /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR backdoor ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Also back door .

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.

a secret, furtive, or illicit manner or means: The business has a backdoor through which the board of directors can access slush fund money.

an indirect manner or means: Marriage counseling was a kind of backdoor into therapy, where I finally faced my dysfunctional relationship with my mother.

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.

Slang: Usually Vulgar. anus.

adjective Also back-door .

secret; furtive; illicit: Special interests pushed through a backdoor contract before the bidding period had expired.

indirect: The immigration reform bill included backdoor amnesty for employed undocumented residents.

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.

Slang: Vulgar. anal (def. 1).

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quick; agile; lively.

expressive of or characterized by sorrow.

having or characterized by persistent or earnest desire.

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Origin of backdoor

First recorded in 1520–30; back¹ + door

Words nearby backdoor

backcourt, backcourtman, backcross, backdate, back dive, backdoor, backdoor play, backdown, backdraft, backdraught, backdrop

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for backdoor

Yet, after months of backdoor negotiations there was Xi, stone-facedly shaking hands with a smirking Abe.
Beijing’s ‘Star Trek’ APEC Summit|Jake Adelstein|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In Kafr Kanna, because of the blocked highway exit, The Daily Beast was forced to use a backdoor entry to town.
A New Intifada? Israel’s Arab Citizen Uprising Spreads|Creede Newton|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That's happening thanks to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Survillence Act, the very "backdoor" discussed here.
It’s Time to Shut the NSA’s Backdoor Used to Spy on Americans|Geoffrey R. Stone|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The defenders of backdoor searches argue that the same rule should apply in the section 702 situation.
It’s Time to Shut the NSA’s Backdoor Used to Spy on Americans|Geoffrey R. Stone|July 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That is a typically Russian feature, by banning, they will just awake our interest to find a backdoor.
The Kremlin's Rock 'n Roll Revisionism|Anna Nemtsova|April 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The last Royalist defender of safe measures had vanished through the backdoor.
Lectures on the French Revolution|John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton
Probably it had been a servants' entrance, a backdoor, or opening into what are called "the offices" in Scotland.
Great Ghost Stories|Various
He went out by the backdoor into the garden, and saw how the sky was clouding up from the south-west.
Littlebourne Lock|F. Bayford Harrison
When within a short distance of the old house a backdoor suddenly opened and fule-Tammy came out carrying a peat-keschie.
Viking Boys|Jessie Margaret Edmondston Saxby
Early next morning, he tied up his clothes in his handkerchief, crept downstairs noiselessly and let himself out by the backdoor.
Babylon, Volume 1 (of 3)|Grant Allen

British Dictionary definitions for backdoor

back door

noun

a door at the rear or side of a building

a means of entry to a job, position, etc, that is secret, underhand, or obtained through influence
(as modifier)a backdoor way of making firms pay more

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Idioms and Phrases with backdoor

back door

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]

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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backdoor

noun Also back door .

adjective Also back-door .

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Origin of backdoor

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Example sentences from the Web for backdoor

British Dictionary definitions for backdoor

noun

Idioms and Phrases with backdoor

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

backdoor

noun Also back door .

adjective Also back-door .

QUIZZES

GEE WHILLIKERS! WAIT TILL YOU SEE THIS WORD OF THE DAY QUIZ!

Origin of backdoor

Words nearby backdoor

Words related to backdoor

Example sentences from the Web for backdoor

British Dictionary definitions for backdoor

noun

Idioms and Phrases with backdoor