back door
noun · adjective · verb
Simple meaning
A secret or underhand means of access.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bakdawrSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbækˈdɔɹ
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A secret or underhand means of access (to a place or a position)
A means of access, often secret and unprotected, to something.
computer security
A secret means of access to a program or system.
A subsidiary entrance to a building or house at its rear, normally away from the street.
computer security
An undocumented way to get access to a computer system or the data it contains
adjective
Achieved through indirect means.
verb
To attempt to accomplish by indirect means, especially when direct means are proscribed.
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A secret or underhand means of access (to a place or a position)
Used this way, back door is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
An undocumented way to get access to a computer system or the data it contains.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.