Meanings
plural back streets
- A usually small and narrow street or alley, especially one in inferior or poorer parts of a city, away from the centre.
So much to do, so much to see So what's wrong with taking the back streets? You'll never know if you don't go You'll never shine if you don't glow
1999 May 4, Greg Camp, “All Star”, in Astro Lounge, performed by Smash MouthAntonyms: main street, thoroughfare, arterial road, highway
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA usually small and narrow street or alley, especially one in inferior or poorer parts of a city, away from the centre.
nounA secret, clandestine, or illegal scene.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Bulgarian глуха улица
- глуха улица (gluha ulica)small and narrow street
Chinese Mandarin 背街
- 背街 (bèijiē)small and narrow street
Danish baggade
- baggadesmall and narrow street
Dutch achterafstraat, achterafstraatje
- achterafstraatsmall and narrow street
- achterafstraatjesmall and narrow street
Finnish sivukatu
- sivukatusmall and narrow street
German Seitengasse
- Seitengassesmall and narrow street
Irish cúlsráid
- cúlsráidsmall and narrow street
Japanese 裏通り
- 裏通り (uradōri)small and narrow street
Norwegian Bokmål bakgate
- bakgatesmall and narrow street
Polish boczna uliczka
- boczna uliczkasmall and narrow street
Russian закоу́лок, глуха́я у́лица
- закоу́лок (zakoúlok)small and narrow street
- глуха́я у́лица (gluxája úlica)small and narrow street
- задво́рки (zadvórki)small and narrow street
Spanish callejuela, callejón
- callejuelasmall and narrow street
- callejónsmall and narrow street
Swedish bakgata, gränd
- bakgatasmall and narrow street
- grändsmall and narrow street
Welsh stryd gefn
- stryd gefnsmall and narrow street
Cite this entry
back street. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20street
“back street.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20street. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “back street,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/back%20street.
Source: back street on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.