front burner

American  

noun

1. Informal. a condition or position of top priority.

   Put the project on the front burner and finish it as soon as possible.

---

Other Word Forms

• front-burner adjective

Etymology

Origin of front burner

First recorded in 1965–70; by analogy with back burner

Example Sentences

At a meeting of senior EU member state officials on Sunday evening, the emphasis was on not rushing to decisions and keeping diplomacy with the White House on the front burner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

But then every time I went to visit him, it was like something that was on the back burner came to the front burner, and the reality smashed me in the face.

From Slate • May 23, 2023

That would move the matter from the political front burner and allow Mr. Biden to return to more private forms of cajoling.

From New York Times • Mar. 29, 2023

There are also $1 billion worth of backlogged recovery efforts that must be moved to the front burner.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 3, 2022

But he made one compelling point that showed Lawrence and Alvarez how they might restore the program to Washington’s front burner.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik