as in bribe
something given or promised in order to improperly influence a person's conduct or decision
the customs official let us know that he might be prepared to look the other way if an appropriate backhander was slipped into his palm
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Recent Examples of backhander
Lyon stoned him on the first shot and then was able to recover and stop Mittelstadt’s backhander off the rebound.
—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
With the teams skating 4-on-4 a minute later, Oettinger made a sprawling glove save on Matt Boldy backhander to keep the game tied.
—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
21 Apr. 2026
Anaheim ended Buffalo’s seven-game road winning streak when Tage Thompson couldn’t keep in the puck in the Ducks’ zone and Terry held on a 2-on-0 break to score on a backhander.
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Anaheim ended Buffalo's seven-game road winning streak when Tage Thompson couldn't keep in the puck in the Ducks' zone and Terry held on a 2-on-0 break to score on a backhander.
—
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
2 May 2026
With the teams skating 4-on-4 a minute later, Oettinger made a sprawling glove save on Matt Boldy backhander to keep the game tied.
—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
21 Apr. 2026
Anaheim ended Buffalo’s seven-game road winning streak when Tage Thompson couldn’t keep in the puck in the Ducks’ zone and Terry held on a 2-on-0 break to score on a backhander.
—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
Anaheim ended Buffalo's seven-game road winning streak when Tage Thompson couldn't keep in the puck in the Ducks' zone and Terry held on a 2-on-0 break to score on a backhander.
—
CBS News,
22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for backhander
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backhander
bribe
Noun
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Yang also was convicted of embezzlement, offering bribes, misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power and money laundering in one of the most dramatic corruption cases in recent years in terms of the sheer scale of the bribes involved.
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Then, in 2016, Correia used his position as mayor to solicit bribes from and extort prospective marijuana businesses seeking to operate in the city.
Cite this Entry
“Backhander.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backhander. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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