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.
Officers sent to the scene about 9:10 p.m. found Baker in the back seat of the SUV, and he was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital. Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 16 July 2025 She was found beaten, shot and burned in the back seat of a Chevrolet Malibu on a highway east of Phoenix. Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 13 July 2025 Stella Nyarko-Dei, 71, was in the back seat of a 2003 Toyota Avalon that was heading west on Bartow Ave. Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 13 July 2025 The first officer then unlocked the car, allowing the second officer to enter the back seat and pull the baby out. Abigail Adams, People.com, 26 June 2025 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 22 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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