behind someone's back
Secretly, excluding them
To do something behind someone's back is to do it without their knowledge, typically in a way that affects them negatively or betrays their trust: They were talking about her behind her back, He went behind my back and complained to my boss.
The phrase implies secrecy and often deception—actions the person would object to if they knew.
- whisperingBreathy, near-silent speech
- talking trashCompetitive verbal mockery
- mistrustLack of faith
- trust issuesSkepticism toward others' motives
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
stabbed in the back · betrayal · dishonesty · secrecy · secret meeting · hidden agendas · gossip · snide remarks · throwing shade · loose lips · indirectness · duplicity · exclusion · omission · treachery · two-faced · insincerity · coded language
behind someone's backface to face
In someone's presence
openly · directly · in the open · out in the open · above board
behind, backed, backing, backer, backside, backbone, backward, backyard, backlash