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
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Right after checking out from jail, Rice ran past CBS News Texas photojournalist Tim Anders and climbed into the back seat of a black Range Rover SUV that was waiting for him on Commerce Street. Steven Rosenbaum, CBS News, 16 June 2026 The pony rides in the back seat of the family car. ABC News, 16 June 2026 Beneath the flat surface of the back seat hid the wondrous fold-up bench seats that, to my childhood mind, were a marvel of ingenuity. Judith Garrison, AJC.com, 16 June 2026 Like many immigrant parents, Alva’s mother took a back seat in her kids’ lives because of the language barrier. Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 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 19 Jun. 2026.

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