Phrase guide

back street

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A usually small and narrow street or alley, especially one in inferior or poorer parts of a city, away from the centre.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: main street, thoroughfare, arterial road, highway

2

noun

Meaning 2

A secret, clandestine, or illegal scene.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonym: mean streets

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mean streets

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a narrow street with walls on both sides

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: alley, alleyway

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: street

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: глуха улица (gluha ulica) — small and narrow street
  • Chinese Mandarin: 背街 (bèijiē) — small and narrow street
  • Danish: baggade — small and narrow street
  • Dutch: achterafstraat — small and narrow street
  • Dutch: achterafstraatje — small and narrow street
  • Finnish: sivukatu — small and narrow street
  • German: Seitengasse — small and narrow street
  • Irish: cúlsráid — small and narrow street
  • Japanese: 裏通り (uradōri) — small and narrow street
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bakgate — small and narrow street
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: bakgate — small and narrow street
  • Russian: закоу́лок (zakoúlok) — small and narrow street
  • Russian: глуха́я у́лица (gluxája úlica) — small and narrow street
  • Russian: задво́рки (zadvórki) — small and narrow street
  • Spanish: callejuela — small and narrow street
  • Spanish: callejón — small and narrow street
  • Swedish: bakgata — small and narrow street
  • Swedish: gränd — small and narrow street
  • Welsh: stryd gefn — small and narrow street