back burner

noun

Updated on: 19 Apr 2018

Definition of back burner

: the condition of being out of active consideration or development —usually used in the phrase on the back burner

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back-burner

transitive verb

See back burner defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of back burner from the Web

The turn to responsibility is toughest for companies that grew the fastest and put ethics way on the back burner.

— kevin werbach, Philly.com, "When crises come, ethically challenged firms such as Uber are most vulnerable, Wharton prof says," 16 Apr. 2018
Since surgery, Cobb began to use his curveball more as his primary offspeed pitch to complement his two-seam sinking fastball, putting his split-changeup on the back burner.

— eduardo a. encina, baltimoresun.com, "Alex Cobb's long search for his split-changeup a work in progress, and that was clear in Orioles' debut," 15 Apr. 2018
Families have a lot of competing priorities -- getting food on the table, paying bills, dealing with illness -- and this can cause oral health care to be put on the back burner.

— erin gabriel, CNN, "Fewer dental cavities found in young people, but minorities still most at risk," 13 Apr. 2018
But just as notable as what will be discussed are those issues expected to be on the back burner.

— joshua partlow, Washington Post, "At a ‘surreal’ Summit of the Americas, corruption scandals aplenty — but no Trump," 12 Apr. 2018
In reality, the White House has largely put negotiations over DACA on the back burner as the program is reviewed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.

— kevin liptak, CNN, "At Mar-a-Lago, Trump hears from immigration hardliners," 2 Apr. 2018
But the Cambridge Analytica controversy and the subsequent public outrage over Facebook's handling of user data appear to have put the big reveal on the back burner.

— jeff dunn, Ars Technica, "Facebook reportedly delaying smart speaker launch in wake of data outrage," 28 Mar. 2018
The memo prompted an outpouring of eye rolls and outrage on social media and the bill — HB 5416 — has been placed on the back burner.

— kathleen gray, Detroit Free Press, "Hunter pink debate fades due to lack of support in state House of Representatives," 2 Feb. 2018
Just like that, Harper-to-the-Bombers has hit the back burner.

— mike mazzeo, baltimoresun.com, "Aaron Judge pitches Orioles' Manny Machado on joining the Yankees," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'back burner.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of back burner

1943

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back burner

Definition of back burner

back-burner

Recent Examples of back burner from the Web

First Known Use of back burner

Seen and Heard

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back burner

Definition of back burner

back-burner

Recent Examples of back burner from the Web

First Known Use of back burner

Seen and Heard

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