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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American veterans and others have traveled to smaller, clandestine clinics for treatment to deal with depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
29 June 2025
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Gi-hun, who’d found his way back in the clandestine gaming complex (situated inside a mountain on a remote island), is Player 456 again among a new round of contestants.—
Lorraine Ali,
Los Angeles Times,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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On June 24, undercover agents attempted to purchase fireworks from Pan.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
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Conan Edogawa and Detective Kogoro Mouri join the Nagano prefectural police to investigate a break-in at the observatory while uncovering a deeper plot involving undercover agents, betrayal, and vengeance.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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This ambitious project is powered by an army of 432 small robots that are moving the massive structure about 33 feet each day to make way for a new underground development.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 June 2025
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Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his cabinet directed the British war effort during World War II from this secret underground complex.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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For every regime change at the hands of Americans that went well—think Adolf Hitler’s exit from Germany and Benito Mussolini from Italy—there are multitudes that went off the rails: six overt attempts during the Cold War and another 64 in covert operations.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
19 June 2025
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The Whyte Python World Tour by Travis Kennedy The laughs are as big as the mullets in this rollicking story about a hugely successful hair-metal band that’s really a cover for a covert operation in Cold War-era Eastern Europe.—
Andrea Lavinthal,
People.com,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Cheng Xin | Getty Images Google on Monday announced a partnership with Commonwealth Fusion Systems, or CFS, a private company spun off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which marks the tech giant′s first commercial commitment to fusion.—
Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,
CNBC,
30 June 2025
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The recent acquisition of 80% of its operating business by one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious private equity firms, PAI Partners, values the brand at $3.6 billion.—
Katharina Kotrba,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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