back seat

noun

variants or less commonly backseat
1
: a seat in the back (as of an automobile)
2
: a secondary or inferior position
… the issues and concerns that have sometimes been given a back seatAl Gore
see also take a back seat

Examples of back seat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Attach these critical tethers to your vehicle's back seat anchor point, which is located on the rear shelf, seat back, ceiling or floor. Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 Mar. 2026 On a bright, beautiful afternoon in 1985 that should have disappeared into Orlando’s endless reel of bright, beautiful afternoons, an NBA executive sat in the back seat of a car and made casual conversation about expansion. Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Mar. 2026 Police said two children were also in the back seat and were not hurt, but they were taken to the hospital to be checked out. Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2026 Meanwhile, mechanic Fausto Oppici is in the back seat, a cooler of water bottles at his feet and five spare wheels next to him. Andy McGrath, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for back seat

Word History

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of back seat was in 1715

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Cite this Entry

“Back seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20seat. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.

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