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 seat belt buckle reminder now comes standard for back seats as well. Jackie Charniga, USA Today, 10 Jan. 2026 The guy in the back seat with me was just, like, trying to strike up small talk. Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026 Coogan stopped me, dead serious, from the back seat of a Maybach an intern was chauffeuring us around in. Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 8 Jan. 2026 Inside, there’s a wood veneer portrait of Bailey mounted between the two back seats. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 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

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Cite this Entry

“Back seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20seat. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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