backdoor

adjective

back·​door ˈbak-ˈdȯr 

1

: indirect, devious

2

: involving or being a play in basketball in which a player moves behind the defense and toward the basket to receive a quick pass

a backdoor layup

Examples of backdoor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The boundary, called a backdoor cold front, could linger with Boston through Wednesday and Thursday, Dooley said, and may starkly divide temperatures felt by inland and coastal communities. —Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2026

In the second period, after Foligno’s tying goal, Tarasenko scored his 23rd goal and seventh in the past 11 games on a backdoor tap-in after Ryan Hartman deflected Jared Spurgeon’s shot. —Michael Russo, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026

The Forest Service reorganization is a backdoor way to achieve some of the same goals: during Trump’s first term, his Administration moved the B.L.M. headquarters from Washington to Colorado, which led many of its key employees to quit. —Bill McKibben, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026

At 3:08, Suter had made it 4-2 with a backdoor goal fired into a wide-open net after a chaotic and disorganized defensive sequence by the Ducks. —Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for backdoor

• abhor
• abor
• adore
• afore
• ardour
• ashore
• before
• bookstore
• candour
• centaur
• claymore
• decor