back burner

noun

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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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Examples of back burner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Meanwhile, on back burner there have been a half-dozen bills by the state GOP intended to block state and local enforcement of new federal gun restrictions. — Ike Morgan | Imorgan@al.com, al, "Gun bills, Amazon and this week’s weather outlook: Down in Alabama," 29 Mar. 2021 Another public health challenge — smoking — has remained on the back burner, but no longer. — Gail Rosenblum, Star Tribune, "New lung cancer screening guidelines means potentially millions more lives can be saved," 19 Mar. 2021 Some of her plans were canceled; others shifted to virtual; others were placed on the back burner. — Joelle Jay, Forbes, "Six Planning Tools To Lift You Out Of Pandemic Purgatory," 5 Mar. 2021 Put your love life on the back burner and focus on achieving your goals, but don’t ignore a partner’s needs. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, "Horoscope for March 3, 2021: Happy birthday David Faustino; Libra, be discreet," 3 Mar. 2021 Your business sense may desert you in August, so put major expenditures on the back burner. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, "Horoscope for Feb. 23, 2021: Cancer, adhere to high standards; Capricorn, spend money wisely," 23 Feb. 2021 Now, that's on the back burner as the district fast-tracks plans for a K-12 online school. — Erin Golden, Star Tribune, "Minnesota schools fast-track plans for permanent online learning options," 16 Feb. 2021 Put college football recruiting and basketball on the back burner. — Wally Hall, Arkansas Online, "OPINION | WALLY HALL: Super Bowl sets stage for a needed day," 8 Feb. 2021 Early on, when the United States still had a chance at staving off the worst of the pandemic, many infectious disease experts put regular research on the back burner and turned their full attention to combating the deadly new coronavirus. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Makes you ask why the hell we even bother.’ Infectious disease experts face disillusionment as COVID-19 pandemic worsens," 4 Dec. 2020

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.