take a back seat

idiomatic phrase

variants or take a backseat

: to have or assume a secondary position or status : to be or become less important, active, or powerful

Howard loved directing "more than I even thought I would," and his acting career has taken a back seat ever since.

—Newsweek

That's why Bryant's willingness to tone down his game is significant. It doesn't mean, however, that he's content to take a backseat indefinitely.

—Phil Taylor

—often used with to

Physically and emotionally, these guys take a back seat to no one.

—Mark Vancil

Examples of take a back seat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Kate Middleton and Prince William, royal duties take a back seat to parenting their children, as shown by how William stepped back from his duties during the princess’ cancer treatments, according to a royal author. —Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 15 Feb. 2026

Besides the deceased, who appears more as a spectre in pictures, letters and memories, the men in this story take a back seat, with three generations of women at the center of the narrative. —Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 13 Feb. 2026

But football takes a back seat to nothing in the state of Nebraska in generating interest. —Mitch Sherman, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026

Elon Musk’s ambition to one day settle Mars appears to have taken a back seat for a rather nearer and more achievable goal – sending humans to live on the Moon. —Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for take a back seat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete