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.

Other Words From

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of back channel¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

He’s somebody who I talked to quite often on a back channel, and he was on my program.

From Ozy

“It immediately erupted into this back channel of gossip,” Benedetto remembers.

From The Daily Beast

The house becomes a back channel of sorts, as the men mingle over drinks and cigars and cultivate business deals.

From The Daily Beast

But Cantor has since quietly held a series of back-channel conversations with the vice president.

From The Daily Beast

The new uprising in the Kashmiri capital of Srinagar makes it imperative to get back to the back channel and finish the talks.

From The Daily Beast

Esfandiari vehemently denies involvement in any type of espionage, back-channel organizations, or the CIA.

From The Daily Beast

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.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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 Project Gutenberg

Occasionally the racket from the back channel could be heard above the tumult.

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg