back channel

American  

[bak chan-l] / ˈbæk ˌtʃæn l /

Or backchannel

noun

1. a secret, unofficial, or informal channel of communication as used in politics or diplomacy.

   sensitive information passed on through a back channel.

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Other Word Forms

• back-channel adjective
• back-channeling noun

Etymology

Origin of back channel

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

They say it would prefer to play the role of back channel facilitator, which Islamabad held in talks with the Taliban over the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

According to the Guardian, her conversations with the Trump administration took place through a back channel in Qatar over the course of months.

From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026

These talks went on for a month, completely in a back channel.

From Slate • Nov. 24, 2025

Set up in 1991, Operation Chiffon worked as a secret back channel of communication between the leaders of the IRA and the British government.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2023

Each of them had a different suggestion to make, ranging from dragging through a half-empty back channel just below the town to taking the boat out and running it down the track on a push-cart.

From Down the Columbia by Freeman, Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome)