backdoor

American  

[bak-dawr] / ˈbækˈdɔr /

noun

1. 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.

2. a secret, furtive, or illicit manner or means.

   The business has a backdoor through which the board of directors can access slush fund money.

3. an indirect manner or means.

   Marriage counseling was a kind of backdoor into therapy, where I finally faced my dysfunctional relationship with my mother.

4. 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.

5. Slang: Usually Vulgar. anus.

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adjective

1. secret; furtive; illicit.

   Special interests pushed through a backdoor contract before the bidding period had expired.

2. indirect.

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

3. 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.

4. Slang: Vulgar. anal.

Etymology

Origin of backdoor

First recorded in 1520–30; back ¹ ( def. ) + door

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

backdoor

That backdoor, however, is far lengthier and more expensive than the Yanbu-Red Sea route.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Keeping pretax money out of IRAs can also enable so-called backdoor Roth IRA contributions in future years.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026

But Sir Brian Leveson, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, who provides independent oversight of the use of surveillance powers, has previously criticised media use of the term "backdoor", external.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

SINGAPORE—China said Wednesday that it has found “security backdoor vulnerabilities” in Anthropic’s popular Claude Code, stepping up tensions in the race with the U.S. for artificial-intelligence supremacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

I just have to get to my locker for my coat and slip out the backdoor.

From "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake

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Related Words

• classified
• covert
• furtive
• hush-hush
• mysterious
• obscure
• private
• secluded
• undercover
• underground
• undisclosed
• unknown
• unpublished

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