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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The role of the two CIA agents who were returning from destroying a clandestine drug lab in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua remains unclear.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The role of the two CIA agents, who were returning from destroying a clandestine drug lab in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua, remains unclear.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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These were actually undercover police officers.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
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Federal prosecutors in Alabama secured an 11-count indictment accusing the organization of paying millions of dollars to some of those undercover informants and hiding the real purpose of the payments from its donors.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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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Reznik said while the San Gabriel River system and adjacent spreading grounds, stretching from Irwindale to Long Beach, work exceptionally well, capturing 90% of the local runoff that percolates into underground basins for later use, that’s not true of some other waterways in the county.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
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The film centres on Karampour’s reunion with her brother Siâvash, formerly a vocalist in an Iranian underground punk band now living in exile in New York.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
24 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Indeed, our research suggests AI chatbots could easily be used for covert advertising to manipulate their human users.—
Brian Jay Tang,
The Conversation,
24 Apr. 2026
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In a series first, Captain Sig Hansen launches an unprecedented covert scouting mission, deploying an underwater drone into the unknown waters in a bold attempt to locate the rare strain of king crab before the rest of the fleet arrives.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Many Cubans have expressed concern on social media about how private entities that will care for the elderly will be chosen and who will decide which people are considered vulnerable enough to enter the centers.—
Sarah Moreno
Updated April 29,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
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In addition to the impact on tip fees, Spino said Torrington could gain an additional $100,000 a year in tax revenues if the facility were to be sold to a private company.—
John Moritz,
Hartford Courant,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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