backstairs

adjective

ˈbak-ˌsterz How to pronounce backstairs (audio)
Definition of backstairsnext
as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others an influential Washington lobbyist who has been involved in a number of backstairs deals to limit regulation of financial institutions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of backstairs And in North Carolina, a boyish trial lawyer with jury-pleasing charm (John Edwards) knocked off Lauch Faircloth, a GOP senator who played a backstairs role in getting Kenneth Starr appointed as independent counsel. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstairs
  1. clandestine
  2. undercover
  3. underground
  4. covert
  5. private
Adjective
  • The arrest, the official explained, came after the Attorney General’s Office concluded that there had been misconduct in an April operation in which state officials dismantled a clandestine drug-manufacturing laboratory.
    — Mauricio Torres, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Bridgers’ tour restricts phones, so the reader’s account had to stand in for the clandestine photo that might otherwise have accompanied the sighting.
    — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • But his father, also named William, became a supporter — and even went undercover of sorts at her 2021 fraud trial.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The federal indictment identifies instructions directing undercover Cuban spies not to fly with Brothers to the Rescue around the time of the attack.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of undercover
Adjective
  • The Finnish Government has granted Posiva Oy an operating license for the world’s first permanent underground repository for spent nuclear fuel.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Part of what a racist superstructure creates is the need for some kind of underground economy.
    — Jasmine Vojdani, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of underground
Adjective
  • But how and through whom the money flowed into the Alpha account revealed that it was intended to remain secret, more akin to a covert and illicit scheme, given that it was managed in part by a senior advisor to the president of the United States.
    — Matthew Cole, Vanity Fair, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Even in scenes outside Sonny’s perspective, Ellen still looks like not-quite-Connie Britton, fielding suspicious phone calls and making covert trips to the bank.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of covert
Adjective
  • In August, Spencer Spirit agreed to buy Hot Topic, BoxLunch and Her Universe from Sycamore Partners, which took Hot Topic private in 2013 for about $600 million.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The board will also calculate the amount of wealth subject to the tax using publicly available stock information and private assessments of personal property, such as artwork and jewelry.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of private

Browse Nearby Words

backstage
backstairs
backstop
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All