as in clandestine
undertaken or done so as to escape being observed or known by others
an influential Washington lobbyist who has been involved in a number of backstairs deals to limit regulation of financial institutions
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Recent Examples of backstairs
And in North Carolina, a boyish trial lawyer with jury-pleasing charm (John Edwards) knocked off Lauch Faircloth, a GOP senator who played a backstairs role in getting Kenneth Starr appointed as independent counsel.
—
Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 6 June 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backstairs
Adjective
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Duplicity, directed by Tony Gilroy, follows two corporate spies, Claire (Roberts) and Ray (Owen), who become embroiled in a clandestine love affair.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
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There’s a clandestine quality to it all.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Though the story that White had told the undercover officers didn’t suggest an intentional killing, he was charged with murder.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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Border czar Tom Homan received $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents.—
Kate Wolffe
October 9,
Sacbee.com,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Get Ready: Katy Perry Has Released a Sneak Peek of Her New Song And the internet has receipts.—
Mehera Bonner,
Marie Claire,
15 Mar. 2017
Adjective
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This particular system uses an underground connecting cable between two passenger cabins.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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By the time Fierstein graduated from art school in 1973, he was fully enmeshed in the downtown underground-theater scene.—
Zach Schiffman,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Gallagher Trombley, the Digital Mom Media founder, worries that the helicopter parenting and the constant surveillance of our children, covert or otherwise, might have harmed an entire generation.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
18 Oct. 2025
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Those concerns have reportedly deepened tensions within the Pentagon over the military’s expanding role in supporting covert geopolitical objectives without clear congressional authorization.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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At a private event at the Indiana Statehouse on October 14, Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, told state lawmakers and law enforcement officials the administration had carried out nearly 550,000 removals since the Republicans returned to office.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Oct. 2025
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Your next best bet for getting a private Northern Lights show is heading to Maine.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
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