back channel

or back·chan·nel

[ bak-chan-l ]

noun
  1. a secret, unofficial, or informal channel of communication as used in politics or diplomacy: sensitive information passed on through a back channel.

Origin of back channel

1
First recorded in 1965–70

Other words from back channel

  • back-chan·nel, adjective
  • back-chan·nel·ing, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use back channel in a sentence

  • The far shore was a full mile away, while between the island and the near shore lay a back-channel perhaps a hundred yards across.

  • The back-channel filled up with URLs and phone numbers and email addresses.

    Makers | Cory Doctorow
  • We were trying to get up a slue, or back channel, by a short cut, and the stern-wheel never spun twice in the same direction.

    From Sea to Sea | Rudyard Kipling
  • Occasionally the racket from the back channel could be heard above the tumult.

  • The filter was operated from 1899 until the fall of 1907 with raw water taken from what is known as the "back channel."