driver's seat

noun

: the position of top authority or dominance

Example Sentences

with her boss's early retirement, she unexpectedly found herself in the driver's seat
Recent Examples on the Web There's nothing in the way of the driver's seat. Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 17 Nov. 2022 The roadrunner took a brief break next to the driver's seat, seemingly scouting out the area in search of potential danger. Vic Verbalaitis, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2022 After matching the registration of the vehicle to Ervin, a search warrant found a Glock pistol under the driver's seat, records state. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 27 Mar. 2023 Court documents said a gun was allegedly recovered between the door and the driver's seat. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 13 Mar. 2023 The holster on his hip was empty, and a gun was on the floorboard just below the driver's seat, the video shows. Julianne Mcshane, NBC News, 9 Mar. 2023 One video shows officers from both departments strategizing ways to get into the vehicle without waking up the person in the driver's seat and putting themselves in danger that the vehicle could flee. Antonio Planas, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2023 Bryan Kohberger was in the driver's seat. Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 4 Jan. 2023 But with a win, the Colts would have put themselves in the driver's seat for the AFC South title over the Texans with both entering the game at 6-7. The Indianapolis Star, 6 Nov. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'driver's seat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of driver's seat was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near driver's seat

Cite this Entry

“Driver's seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/driver%27s%20seat. Accessed 1 Jun. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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