back-channel

adjective

Definition of back-channelnext
as in off-the-record

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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 back-channel There was also a proposal for an AI-hotline-style back-channel between the two countries to provide early warning and additional context should rogue AI conduct unplanned operations. — Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026 Rubio has led back-channel talks with Raúl Castro’s grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, but Cuban officials say talks with the administration are at a stalemate. — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026 Pakistan has been an important back-channel player in reaching Iran, and the positive tone of its comments eased oil markets a bit. — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 The real deals are locked in over late-night dinners, back-channel texts and quiet handshakes months in advance. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 12 Aug. 2026 The route threads through waterfront parks, past the Island Park and Wildlife Sanctuary’s back-channel islands, and along quiet residential streets. — John Godfrey Published, Midwest Living, 8 Aug. 2026 In Japan, moderates had begun back-channel discussions with the Soviet Union (with whom Japan was not at war) in an effort to end the fighting and preserve the Japanese monarchy. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Aug. 2026 In July 1971, Henry Kissinger, then national security adviser to President Richard Nixon, arrived in Beijing on his famous secret mission — the back-channel visit that helped re-open the door between two countries that had little direct contact for more than two decades. — Xianda Huang, The Conversation, 16 May 2026 The messiness of a 13-year scientific undertaking, the back-channel negotiations, the philosophical disagreements, the institutional maneuvering — none of that fits neatly into an obituary. — Zachary Utz, STAT, 15 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back-channel
  1. off-the-record
  2. closed-door
  3. off-the-books
  4. clandestine
  5. surreptitious
  6. covert
Adjective
  • In all, the on-the-record remarks lasted about 30 minutes and were followed by a larger off-the-record mixer with the media involving additional Skydance executives.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Sacramento Kings media day Monday apparently came with some off-the-record player reviews that accidentally went on the record.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of off-the-record
Adjective
  • Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates departs after a closed-door interview with the House Oversight Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 10, 2026.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 23 June 2026
Definition of closed-door
Adjective
  • But these visible figures do not include projects the hyperscalers are financing through complex leases and other off-the-books deals, which could add around $3 trillion to their borrowing over the next decade.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • According to interviews and records, Perera built an off-the-books real estate and construction business, parts of which operated in Ohio.
    — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of off-the-books
Adjective
  • 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
  • The Soviet Union operated an extensive clandestine biological weapons program despite being a party to the Biological Weapons Convention.
    — Krutika Kuppalli, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of clandestine
Adjective
  • Many hosts report resistance, in the forms of surreptitious card-shuffling and outright complaints.
    — Judith Martin, Mercury News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • To unearth these surreptitious practices, Gamers Nexus partnered up with independent security researchers and Level1Techs.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of surreptitious
Adjective
  • This year has seen several notable incidents involving both overt and covert threats to undersea infrastructure, including Iranian efforts to impose fees on operators of undersea cables running through the contested Strait of Hormuz.
    — Jeremy Hsu, ArsTechnica, 14 Oct. 2026
  • From hippies to covert racists, psychedelics to cult-like workshop leaders, this is a world where any difference is still scrutinized and looked down on.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of covert

Browse Nearby Words

backbreaking
back-channel
backchat
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Cite this Entry

“Back-channel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back-channel. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

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