Showing results for back channel. Search instead for broadcast channel.

back channel

American

[bak chan-l] / ˈbæk ˌtʃæn l /

Or backchannel

noun

a secret, unofficial, or informal channel of communication as used in politics or diplomacy.

sensitive information passed on through a back channel.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of back channel

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

See Examples For:

back channel

Muscat served as the back channel for talks between the United States and Iran in the lead-up to the 2015 nuclear deal and mediated several rounds of talks during Trump's second term.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

The message went via a Pakistani facilitated back channel, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar has said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026

It is possible that back channel contacts could well produce a ceasefire, followed by a return to talks.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026

These talks went on for a month, completely in a back channel.

From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025

Each of them had a different suggestion to make, ranging from dragging through a half-empty back channel just below the town to taking the boat out and running it down the track on a push-cart.

From Down the Columbia by Freeman, Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome)

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