View synonyms for

backdoor

[ bak-dawr ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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 ( def 1 ).

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Word History and Origins

Origin of backdoor¹

First recorded in 1520–30; back ¹( def ) + door

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It seems like ancient history now, but once upon a time, there was a little backdoor pilot that dreamed of growing up to be a full-fledged reality television spectacle.

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Would the 7-foot-3 center show off his extraordinary passing skills, flinging the ball to a teammate for a backdoor layup?

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It has a key to the backdoor or, better yet, has lived inside your house all along, trying to burn it all down instead of sitting with the discomfort that your life might be changing.

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But when he checked back in during the second quarter, the Lakers had found a little footing and traces of rhythm, and he cut backdoor to score his first basket on an easy layup.

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Various administrations have wanted to create a so-called backdoor into messaging services that use it so they can read messages they think might pose a national security threat.

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Related Words

back dive back door

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