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

That clause could act as a backdoor way to establish rent control in Chicago, a regulation state law blocks the city from establishing. —Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026

Early in the second period Stone snuck behind the Avalanche defense for a backdoor tap-in goal on the power play. —Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 25 May 2026

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

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

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