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

Things aren’t bad in the back seat either; thanks to the wheelbase there’s 39 inches (991 mm) of rear leg room, and the occupants have another couple of USB-C ports to keep their gadgets charged. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026

Eventually, Steve collected some of Hannah’s hair from the Volvo’s back seat. — Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

He was arrested on charges of violating probation and taken to jail in the back seat of a patrol car. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 July 2026

In December, a passenger in San Francisco on her way to the hospital even gave birth in a Waymo’s back seat. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 July 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