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.
The trio race over, finding only the car with blood all over the back seat. Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026 When Lubbock police stopped that vehicle for a traffic violation, officers found that a passenger in the back seat was overdosing on the fentanyl supplied by Red-Eagle. Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Feb. 2026 As the car carrying him departed the police station, a photographer captured another indelible image, of the former Prince slumped in the back seat, wide-eyed and slack-jawed—the boy for whom the chimes once pealed looking very much like a man for whom the bell now tolls. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026 The arrest report said the shooter was identified by both the victim and his friend, as well as the driver and a 15-year-old student from Felix Varela High School who was in the back seat. Peter D'oench, CBS News, 20 Feb. 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 27 Feb. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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