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
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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
Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstairs
Adjective
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After paying private equity tycoon Jack McGinley $52 million in a clandestine off-market deal for the Georgian-style spread, which was designed by architect Don Nulty and built in 2009 for 9-1-1: Lone Star actor Rob Lowe, Levine and Prinsloo have put the place back on the market for $65 million.—
Wendy Bowman,
Robb Report,
10 July 2025
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Built to listen for clandestine nuclear bomb blasts, the globe-spanning system detects low-frequency acoustic-gravity waves.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
9 July 2025
Adjective
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Watch a sneak peek below, then read on for more: Go undercover and solve local mysteries with Christmas shop owner Emily Lane!—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
7 July 2025
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The guy who was in charge of buying apparently used a fake persona; this was very undercover, this is all happening secretly.—
Peter Balonon-Rosen,
Vox,
4 July 2025
Adjective
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As originally proposed, the CTA Super Loop running west from North and Clybourn would have merely grazed Lincoln Yards with an underground station at the far southwestern corner of the tract, North and Elston.—
F.K. Plous,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
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There are several places to park for Scottsdale Canal Convergence: Scottsdale Waterfront underground parking garage, 7135 E. Camelback Road.—
Meredith G. White,
AZCentral.com,
10 July 2025
Adjective
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And Aleesha spontaneously planted a kiss on Luke while celebrating their successful covert operation to get Karina’s laptop.—
Claire Franken,
TVLine,
10 July 2025
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Further, nations set on developing nuclear weapons can be subject to covert operations or outright military attacks, which can slow them down considerably.—
Brendan Rascius
July 8,
Miami Herald,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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But Bondi and Bongino had a contentious exchange the following day at the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.—
Eric Tucker,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
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Ahead of Carroll’s announcement by Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday, the east London club confirmed they had been bought by a consortium of prominent Qatari private investors.—
Colin Millar,
New York Times,
12 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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