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

This fall the all-brown outfit will become the go-to effortless look of the cool-girl set, leaving the entirely black ’fits you’ve come to rely on in the back seat. — Kelsey Stiegman, Glamour, 8 Sep. 2026

There was a time, the woman said, when rolling down the road meant perching on her husband’s back seat. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Graham Summers was killed in the accident, and his two other children, 3 years old and 5 years old, were found injured in the back seat. — Rachel Roberts, Idaho Statesman, 3 Sep. 2026

Jane Doe, wearing in wrist restraints and leg shackles, was placed in the back seat of a sheriff’s patrol vehicle for transportation. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 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