back burner

See more synonyms for back burner on Thesaurus.com

noun

a condition of low priority or temporary deferment (usually used in the phrase on the back burner): Put other issues on the back burner until after the election.

Origin of back burner

First recorded in 1945–50; from the custom in cooking of placing pots not requiring immediate attention toward the rear of the stove

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for back burner

abeyance, limbo, suspension

British Dictionary definitions for back burner

back burner

noun

on the back burner put aside for the time being, as a subject that is not of immediate concern but that may be activated later; postponed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012