back-channel

Definition of back-channelnext

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 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 The indictment alleges that after the NIH terminated a bat coronavirus grant to EcoHealth Alliance, Morens and co-conspirators pledged to help restore the grant and used back-channel communications to influence NIH funding decisions while deliberately avoiding transparency requirements. Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2026 At the center of the potential outreach is Vice President JD Vance, who is being considered for a return trip to Islamabad, where back-channel negotiations have quietly taken place. Sara Cook, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for back-channel
Adjective
  • There was an off-the-record discussion, then Patton’s clerk called the case.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
  • The Ukrainian president made the remarks during a two-hour off-the-record meeting with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript released publicly on Sunday.
    ABC News, ABC News, 23 Aug. 2026
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
Adjective
  • In Disclosure Day, cybersecurity expert Daniel Kellner (O’Connor) steals files confirming alien contact from the Wardex Corporation, an off-the-books non-governmental organization.
    Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
  • But statistics fail to convey the humanity of yard sales—the caprice, whimsy, and high spirits, as well as the cunning, weirdness, and heartbreak, that charge and thicken the air when two people agree to perform an off-the-books monetary transaction.
    Caity Weaver, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026
Adjective
  • The clandestine manner in which LG monitors were installing ad-pushing software onto third-party devices, however, remains seriously concerning.
    Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The clandestine transits have changed the game for the Middle Eastern oil industry.
    David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • In early April 2007, I was invited to a surreptitious dinner with the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s music director Esa-Pekka Salonen and the orchestra’s president, Deborah Borda.
    Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
  • The surreptitious approach consists of asking AI to suggest ways to bypass the myriad restrictions.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Adjective
  • Psyops can be overt or covert, but they’re designed with a clear objective, said Jan Goldman, a professor of intelligence and security studies at The Citadel who has also worked on psyops.
    Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
  • In a recent presentation, OpenAI researchers described how AI agents used a covert message board to plan their next moves.
    Alex Heath, Time, 26 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Back-channel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/back-channel. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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