back channel

American  

[bak chan-l] / ˈbæk ˌtʃæn l /

Or backchannel

noun

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

   sensitive information passed on through a back channel.

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Other Word Forms

• back-channeling
  noun
• back-channel
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of back channel

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

back channel

To buttress their argument that an expert cannot be used as a back channel for “inadmissible hearsay,” they pointed to a nonexistent 2021 case brought by the government.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

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

Another email directly used the phrase "back channel" — a key part of prosecutors' argument about Costello's role.

From Salon ● May 21, 2024

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 Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome) Freeman