back seat

noun

ˈbak-ˈsēt 

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 seat …

—Al Gore

see also take a back seat

Examples of back seat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The new stadium will have 35,000 seats — 12,000 fewer than the old stadium — but NU has touted a better fan experience, with chair-back seats that are closer to the field with better sight lines. —Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026

Video circulated online of federal agents detaining an American citizen outside a Home Depot, then driving off in the man’s car with his toddler still strapped in the back seat. —Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 1 Feb. 2026

Four doors are two too many; a true GT may have a back seat, but one meant more for occasional use or luggage than regular occupation. —Erik Shilling, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2026

Teddy’s babyish voice pipes up from the back seat. —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for back seat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete