behind someone's back

behind (one's) back

In one's absence. The phrase typically suggests wrongdoing or deceit. I can't believe you were gossiping about me behind my back! Tom will be upset that we already made the decision behind his back. She's so arrogant. If only she knew what people said behind her back.

See also: back, behind

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

behind someone's back

Out of one's presence or without someone's knowledge, as in Joan has a nasty way of maligning her friends behind their backs. Sir Thomas Malory used this metaphoric term in Le Morte d'Arthur (c. 1470): "To say of me wrong or shame behind my back." [Early 1300s]

See also: back, behind

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

behind someone's back

without a person's knowledge and in an unfair or dishonourable way.

See also: back, behind

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017