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.
Fast bowler Akash Singh (1-54) conceded four boundaries against Jaiswal (43) in his 23-run first over as Sooryavanshi took the back seat and let the stand-in captain score bulk of the runs in the power play. ABC News, 19 May 2026 The man, then a boy, was in the back seat, with his seat belt fastened. Weike Wang, New Yorker, 17 May 2026 The impact killed her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, 20, seated in the passenger seat, and their friend, Davion Flanagan, 19, riding in the back seat. Erin Jensen, USA Today, 15 May 2026 Carrying out the ritual in an effective manner took a back seat, at times, to landing a figurehead like Michelle Obama or Taylor Swift. Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 15 May 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 20 May. 2026.

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