back burner

noun

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

Examples of back burner 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.
Life was difficult, so making art was on the back burner. Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026 Leftover hurts from earlier in the week might be percolating on the back burner. Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 7 May 2026 This polarizing and critical topic took a back burner to the excitement of the NFL Draft last weekend, when the spotlight deserved to be on the players. Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026 What’s coming in, what’s going out, what’s been sitting on the back burner for too long? Glamour, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for back burner

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back burner was in 1943

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Cite this Entry

“Back burner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20burner. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

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