backstage

1 of 2

adjective

back·​stage ˈbak-ˌstāj How to pronounce backstage (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or occurring in the area behind the stage and especially in the dressing rooms
2
: of or relating to the private lives of theater people
3
: of or relating to the inner working or operation (as of an organization)

backstage

2 of 2

adverb

back·​stage ˈbak-ˈstāj How to pronounce backstage (audio)
1
: in or to a backstage area
2
: in private : secretly

Examples of backstage in a Sentence

Adverb After the show, we went backstage to meet the band. some of the most important decisions were made backstage, and only presented to the full committee afterward
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The noise emitted was quieter than the original Supersonic dryer — despite the hectic nature of the backstage scene with multiple dryers blasting at once, hairstylists were able to use their inside voices. Annie Blay, Allure, 9 Feb. 2024 Miley Cyrus picked up her first pair of Grammy Awards on Sunday, but perhaps a backstage moment was her favorite of the night when Flavor Flav finally got her name right. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 5 Feb. 2024 In September 2022, Tomas posted a backstage picture on Instagram from The Late Late Show with James Corden after his beau appeared on the show. Kara Nesvig, Peoplemag, 4 Jan. 2024 Producers Maria Altamirano, Barry Jenkins and Adele Romanski are backstage with me, as well as some of the team of distributor A24. Raven Jackson, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 Black & Yellow Jimmy Fallon and Chelsea Handler share a backstage moment at The Tonight Show on Oct. 4. Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 6 Oct. 2023 Adding to all the backstage drama is Clea (Rebecca Liddiard), the props manager who’s angling to find a way for her girlfriend, Rachel (Vinessa Antoine), who’s understudying role of Salome, to get her shot in the spotlight. Michael Rechtshaffen, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2023 The interaction was captured on video as Hailey was backstage with her father, Stephen Baldwin, when Justin had an appearance on the Today show. Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 14 Sep. 2023 All Elite Wrestling fired one of its top wrestlers, CM Punk, just days after he got involved in a backstage confrontation with fellow wrestler Jack Perry. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2023
Adverb
Harriet will also speak to winners backstage on the night of the show. Paul Grein, Billboard, 2 Mar. 2024 After a video went viral of Cyrus appreciating Flav for now knowing her name while backstage at the 2024 Grammy Awards, the Public Enemy rapper opened up about mistaking her for Stefani in a new interview on the podcast Just B with Bethenny Frankel. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 23 Feb. 2024 Later, Swift and Dion were spotted backstage in a now-viral photo. Jay Stahl, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2024 Scott didn’t stay seated for long as he was then spotted during the monologue making his way backstage. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 After closing the show, cameras caught Swift running into Kelce’s arms as the pair kissed backstage. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 The nearly decade-old single was rumored to be about Perry and Swift’s fallen friendship but that’s all old news as Perry also shared a photo of her and Swift flashing smiles backstage. Thania Garcia, Variety, 23 Feb. 2024 Dakota Kai was injured backstage, but the attack wasn’t shown. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Since then, Madge has been sharing backstage pics from her shows in Europe, New York and Washington, D.C. Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'backstage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1880, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1901, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of backstage was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near backstage

Cite this Entry

“Backstage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backstage. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

backstage

adverb or adjective
back·​stage
ˈbak-ˈstāj
: in or to an area behind the stage of a theater

More from Merriam-Webster on backstage

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