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

These attacks allowed the actor to deploy backdoor accounts, spread ransomware and infiltrate sensitive systems across the network. —Jonathan Fischbein, Forbes.com, 22 July 2025

The company says the lawsuits are really a backdoor way to push back against federal immigration policy, and its pay rates are in line with Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations. —Arkansas Online, 3 June 2025

But Taillon didn’t have a good feel for it as the season got underway and instead relied on a backdoor cutter in those spots versus lefties. —Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 20 May 2025

That has businesses sounding an alarm about a possible backdoor tax hike. BORROWING AUTHORITY: Both parties in Congress face tough choices in a sprint to avoid a government default by legislatively lifting the cap on borrowing to pay U.S. bills. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 26 Mar. 2025

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