back channel
Americannoun
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.
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
These talks went on for a month, completely in a back channel.
From Slate ● Nov. 24, 2025
In that email, Costello told Cohen he spoke with Giuliani, who “said thank you for opening this back channel of communication and asked me to keep in touch.”
From Salon ● May 21, 2024
At 2.35 p.m. camped on a back channel of the river, as the principal channel was difficult of access from the steep bank and dense growth of reeds.
From Journals of Australian Explorations by Augustus Charles Gregory
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
