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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He was allegedly held in a clandestine detention site and tortured by intelligence agents.—
Antonio Maria Delgado,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2025
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Guests can order craft cocktails at the circular bar, and for those who indulge, there’s a small, clandestine cigar room just off the entrance.—
John Wogan,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The Han Solo bon mot is reminiscent of Diego Luna's confusion when he is asked about smoothing some of Cassian Andor's rougher edges to go undercover as fashion designer Varian Skye in the second block of Andor season 2 episodes.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
1 May 2025
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Next up, he’s set to star alongside Bryce Dallas Howard and Sean Bean in the action comedy Deep Cover, about a group of improv actors who are asked to go undercover.—
Keith Langston,
People.com,
15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Even the price tag of the new Mount Weather work is confidential, but contracting details suggest workers will must be skilled in both underground construction and HVAC equipment, including air handlers.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
1 May 2025
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In 1965, the hotel built an underground bunker where guests could shelter during US air raids.—
Lilit Marcus,
CNN Money,
30 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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After the unexpected death of the pope, Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) is tasked with running the covert process of choosing a new leader.—
Saman Shafiq,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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Those documents gave curious readers more details about Cold War-era covert U.S. operations in other nations, but did not initially lend credence to long-circulating conspiracy theories about who killed JFK.—
Josh Funk and Haya Panjwani,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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And when the owner of the second-largest private company in the United States speaks, there’s an oracle-like aura that demands parsing.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
2 May 2025
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There will also be lots of amenities, including the swimming pool and some sort of private club.—
Adam Williams,
New Atlas,
1 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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