backdoor

American

[bak-dawr] / ˈbækˈdɔr /

noun

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

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.

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.

“Loyalty programs have really become backdoor laboratories for pricing,” she told the Post.

From Salon • May 18, 2026

Marques, for his part, suggested using holding companies to find a backdoor way into profiting from SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, the dynamic duo propelling Korean stocks higher.

From Barron's • May 13, 2026

Courts can no longer use unaffordable bail as a backdoor detention order.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

In December, her government imposed 50% tariffs on some Chinese products including electric vehicles to mirror U.S. policy and calm fears that Mexico would be a duty-free backdoor to the U.S. for Beijing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

The meat was laid on a board in the backdoor shed, and every piece was sprinkled with salt.

From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023