Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A room located at the rear.
  • noun The meeting place used by an inconspicuous controlling group.
  • adjective Of, relating to, or taking place in a backroom.
  • adjective Marked by the exercise of inconspicuous control and maneuvering.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun the meeting place of a group of leaders who make their decisions via private negotiations.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A room near the rear of a premises, especially one only accessible to a privileged few and that can be used as an inconspicuous meeting place
  • adjective Of, relating to, or happening in a backroom
  • adjective Characterized by secrecy or anonymity

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a room located in the rear of an establishment; usually accessible only to privileged groups
  • noun the meeting place of a group of leaders who make their decisions via private negotiations

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word backroom.

Examples

  • It is especially appropriate to use the term backroom or back alley, as that is where poor women will be getting their abortions.

    Denver Post: News: Breaking: Local SL10 2010

  • Assemblyman Jerry Hill, a Democrat whose district includes San Bruno, said he was troubled by what he termed a "backroom deal," in which the utility would not admit wrongdoing.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • Free Press president Josh Silver expressed dismay over what he called backroom deals being brokered by the FCC and industry lobbyists without the presence of any public interest representatives.

    InformationWeek - All Stories And Blogs 2010

  • Mintz, founding partner of law firm Mintz & Gold LLC in New York, lamented what he described as the backroom deal that was cut between Congress and the SEC to keep the SEC's failures secret.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2010

  • Free Press president Josh Silver expressed dismay over what he called backroom deals being brokered by the FCC and industry lobbyists without the presence of any public interest representatives.

    InformationWeek - All Stories And Blogs 2010

  • To her surprise, she's kept in what she describes as a backroom, where several women, dressed as nurses, want to speak with her about her life decisions.

    unknown title 2009

  • To her surprise, she's kept in what she describes as a backroom, where several women, dressed as nurses, want to speak with her about her life decisions.

    AltWeeklies.com Site Feed 2009

  • To her surprise, she's kept in what she describes as a backroom, where several women, dressed as nurses, want to speak with her about her life decisions.

    unknown title 2009

  • As politicians jockey for positions and broker deals in backroom meetings, many Iraqis now say they wonder why they risked their lives to vote on March 7.

    Iraq breaks record for longest time with no government Leila Fadel 2010

  • As politicians jockey for positions and broker deals in backroom meetings, many Iraqis now say they wonder why they risked their lives to vote on March 7.

    Iraq breaks record for longest time with no government Leila Fadel 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.