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definitions

backseat

[ bak-seet ]
/ ˈbækˈsit /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR backseat ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a seat at the rear.

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RELATED WORDS

lesser, secondary, bottom, backside, back, tail, butt, lower, less, minus, second, subordinate, subsidiary, peon, menial, junior, minor, buttocks, end, reverse

Nearby words

  1. backrush,
  2. backs,
  3. backsaw,
  4. backscatter,
  5. backscratcher,
  6. backseat driver,
  7. backset,
  8. backsheesh,
  9. backshore,
  10. backside

Idioms

    take a backseat, to occupy a secondary or inferior position: Her writing has taken a backseat because of other demands on her time.

Origin of backseat

First recorded in 1825–35
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for back seat

back seat

noun

a seat at the back, esp of a vehicle
informal a subordinate or inconspicuous position (esp in the phrase take a back seat)
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
Word Origin and History for back seat

back seat

n.

also back-seat, 1832, originally of coaches, from back (adj.) + seat (n.). Used figuratively for "less or least prominent position" by 1868. Back-seat driver first attested 1926.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper