driver's seat

noun

Synonyms of driver's seatnext
: the position of top authority or dominance

Examples of driver's seat in a Sentence

with her boss's early retirement, she unexpectedly found herself in the driver's seat
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.
One worker was forced into the back of the truck and zip-tied, while the second was ordered into the driver's seat and directed to drive to a secluded parking area nearby. Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 8 May 2026 Police say Rickman, as seen in dashcam video, shoved his relative out of the driver's seat and onto the pavement, gunned the engine and took off. Paul Larosa, CBS News, 3 May 2026 An Antioch police car then arrives and attempts to block the vehicle with one of the suspects in the driver's seat. Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 27 Apr. 2026 Sarah Harris, his principal deputy, said the Environmental Protection Agency is in the driver's seat, not anyone in Missouri. Carrie Johnson, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for driver's seat

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Driver's seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/driver%27s%20seat. Accessed 14 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster