back seat

noun

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 seatAl Gore
see also take a back seat

Examples of back seat 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.
Normally, technical accuracy plays a back seat to a good plot. ArsTechnica, 7 July 2025 The kids were asleep in the back seat; the three adults in the front—Mansfield, her companion at the time, and the car’s driver—were killed instantly. Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 27 June 2025 The family friend, seated in the back seat, was also shot but lived, police said. Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 27 June 2025 The large dog happily sat in the back seat of the car. Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for back seat

Word History

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of back seat was in 1715

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Cite this Entry

“Back seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20seat. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

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