back room

or backroom

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noun

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

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.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of back room

First recorded in 1585–95

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use back room in a sentence

In a dim backroom of a mud hut in Save, 82-year-old Teresa Nyirabutunda sits propped upright in bed by her daughter, Francine.
After the Genocide, Rwanda’s Widows Aging Alone|Nina Strochlic|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was reminiscent of the old days of backroom politics and half-drunk reporters swaying against their typewriters.
The Bizarro World Of Iowa’s GOP Convention|Ben Jacobs|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They also ran the second-most important ad of the season, painting Quinn as a creature of a smoky backroom.
De Blasio Whipped by Horse Lobby|Josh Robin|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I thought it would be hidden, out in the woods, or some kind of backroom deal.
The True Story Behind Dallas Buyers Club: Meet the Real Ron Woodruff|Andrew Romano|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

I want Missourians to make a choice in this election based on policy, not backroom politics.
Abortion Opponents and Many Democrats Want Todd Akin to Stay in Senate Race|Patricia Murphy|August 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
On his way back, he noticed there were two others in the backroom, a couple of men gnawing on pretzels over beers.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Lamb worked his way up into the throng and got a glimpse of the other guy getting stiff on the backroom floor.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
He had also meant to do general repair work in the backroom shop.
The Planet Strappers|Raymond Zinke Gallun
Nick cleared the pie wrapper off the small counter and tossed it into a box as he headed for the backroom.
The Sex Life of the Gods|Michael Knerr
Look here, Baldy, what was it her father whispered to you—just before she came into the backroom?
Wide Courses|James Brendan Connolly

British Dictionary definitions for back room

back room

noun

a place where research or planning is done, esp secret research in wartime
(as modifier)back-room boys

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

back room

or backroom

Origin of back room

Words related to back room

How to use back room in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for back room