backroom

English

Alternative forms

• back room

Etymology

Compound of back +‎ room

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌɹuːm/, /ˈbækˌɹʊm/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈbækˌɹum/
• Rhymes: -uːm

Noun

backroom (plural backrooms)

1. A room near the rear of a premises, especially one that is only accessible to a privileged few and can be used as an inconspicuous meeting place.

Hypernyms

• room

Derived terms

• backroom staff

Translations

room

• Catalan: darrere (ca)
• Finnish: takahuone (fi)
• French: pièce à l’arrière f
• German: Hinterzimmer (de) n
• Italian: retrobottega (it) f
• Polish: zaplecze (pl) n
• Portuguese: fundos (pt) m pl
• Spanish: apartado (es) m, rebotica f

Adjective

backroom (not comparable)

1. Of, relating to, or happening in a backroom.
   • 1964 July, “News and Comment: The Broad Street-Richmond line”, in Modern Railways, page 17:

     It is known that means of using this end of the former NLR and Broad Street station to take an overspill of traffic from Liverpool Street have been under backroom study for some time.

2. (figurative) Characterized by secrecy or anonymity.
   • 2024 August 14, “Thai court dismisses PM for violating constitution”, in bbc.com‎^[1]:

     The vote for a new prime minister will involve plenty of backroom bargaining, while Thailand struggles to revive its faltering economy.

Derived terms

• backroom boy

Translations

happening in a backroom

• German: Hinterzimmer- (de)