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.
In terms of cargo capacity, the BMW would seem to have an advantage on the spec sheet, but Edmunds’ editors were able to fit just as much luggage behind the Q5’s back seat as the X3’s. ABC News, 15 Apr. 2026 Prosecutors allege that Wells' murder occurred after Webber, who was driving, shot Wells, the front-seat passenger, during an argument, citing statements from two witnesses who were in the back seat, according to the CCSO's March 23 press release. Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 14 Apr. 2026 To help make the point, Jude cast the distinguished German actress Nina Hoss as a haughty Austrian executive, who appears as a privileged outsider scanning the city’s streets from the back seat of Angela Răducanu’s vehicle. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026 Three more jumped into the back seat before a final man squeezed in between them. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2026 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Back seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20seat. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster