in the driver's seat

idiom

: in a position in which one is able to control what happens

When his boss went on vacation, he suddenly found himself in the driver's seat.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

As the couple was leaving the park, gusts of wind swung the gate around rapidly, enough to slice through the passenger side door of the couple's car, decapitating Nakajjigo as her husband sat feet away in the driver's seat. —CBS News, 2 Feb. 2023

The biggest difference between any two cars is who's in the driver's seat. —Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 2 Oct. 2022

Walker has two more opportunities against big opponents - Ohio State and Penn State - and big games could put him in the driver's seat without an obvious front-runner out there. —Erick Smith, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2021

The police body camera image obtained by WLS shows French shining a flashlight into the vehicle as Eric Morgan sat in the driver's seat next to a woman, who was not charged in the shooting. —Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2021

The majority of those killed when not buckled up were in the driver's seat, according to the agency. —Amanda Maile, ABC News, 16 May 2023

Emotion and sentiment are in the driver's seat in the banking sector right now. —Q.ai - Powering A Personal Wealth Movement, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2023

With the 73-71 win and only unranked teams left on the docket, Marquette is in the driver's seat for a whale of an accomplishment, considering they were picked ninth in the preseason Big East poll. —Jr Radcliffe, Journal Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2023

Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks will serve as the opposing captain, his third time in the driver's seat after leading an All-Star team in 2019 and 2020. —Cydney Henderson, USA TODAY, 16 Feb. 2023

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