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

Democracy advocates and Democratic Party leaders say they are alarmed by the denialism but say the issue is likely to take a back seat to other voter concerns such as affordability. —Arkansas Online, 11 May 2026

The other children called their father, who arrived about 10 minutes later and found the teen in the back seat of a patrol car with his nose still bleeding. —Theresa Clift may 11, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2026

The fresh flip-flop offerings prove that simplicity need not be sacrificed for stylishness, and that all-day comfiness should most certainly not take a back seat to a head-turning summertime aesthetic. —Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 11 May 2026

Also in the back seat was a 2-year-old boy, who was also unresponsive. —Kansas City Star, 11 May 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