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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Co-created by The New York Times bestselling author Carr and season 1 creator and showrunner David DiGilio, Dark Wolf follows Ben Edwards (Taylor Kitsch) on his journey from the SEALs to the clandestine side of CIA special operations.—
Susan Young,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Bundy family’s statement noted this and said their destination was not clandestine, as the FBI document alleged.—
Nicole Blanchard,
Idaho Statesman,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The two were to meet in the Salt Lake City area, where Nicholas Eller was to pay the undercover officer $130,000 for the marijuana.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
17 Sep. 2025
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Eldin also sold drugs to an undercover DEA agent five times in 2023 and 2024, including one $1,200 deal for five ounces, authorities said in court filings.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
16 Sep. 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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Billie Eilish’s unplugged Live at Third Man Records, back in 2019, was a limited-edition vinyl release, which instantly designated it an underground item.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
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The film was an underground sensation, an endurance test for morbidly curious teens.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Moreover, the lobster boat and the Mako were covert FBI assets carefully disguised as legitimate smuggling vessels.—
Martin Suarez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
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If compromised, malicious radios inside them could be used for simultaneous outages or covert data collection, the FHWA warned.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The executives were able to meet with Pope Leo in a private audience that included others, according to a person familiar with the matter.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
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This is the web version of Term Sheet, a daily newsletter on the biggest deals and dealmakers in venture capital and private equity.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Backstairs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backstairs. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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