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back room

back room

72 3.4
A room at the back of a shop or office used for private meetings with a few people
  • noun
  • /bæk ruːm/
translation icon : trastienda
  • An old man walked in from the back room drying his hands.

And they would live in these back rooms right in, inside, in inside somebody's property.

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Examples

  • Nick went into the back room and returned with his father's jacket.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • After the presentation, we moved to the back room for a more confidential conversation.

  • We're going to go in the back room for a little chat.

  • Your father's in the back room, under heavy guard.

  • In a private back room, Ed is throwing a lavish backers party.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • After a moment, the bartender appeared from the back room, wiping his hands on his faded shirt.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • As they entered the back room, Howard inhaled deeply, savoring the ripe, moist aquarium smell.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The board members held their discussion in the back room to ensure privacy.

  • The restaurant has a cozy back room that can be reserved for special gatherings.

Synonyms

backroom
vsback room
6 3.2

A room at the back of a building used for storage or private work

is reserved for private meetings and actions limited to chosen people

Antonyms

16 1.2

A room at the front of a house where people sit, talk, and relax

How Private

sanctum
9 8.2
back room
72 3.4
office
1.0
front room
  • UK
16 1.2

Surface Forms

back room singular
back rooms plural

Morphology

back + room

The phrase is directly compositional: 'back' (situated at the rear) + 'room' (an indoor area) yields the basic meaning 'a room at the rear of an establishment'. The additional nuance of privacy or restricted access is a pragmatic extension that a B1 learner can reasonably infer from context, so the overall meaning is transparently derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Back room comes from shops and small businesses that had a public front and a private back room where owners or managers met away from customers. That's why back room now means a place or way for 'private' or 'secret' decisions by a few people.