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Synonyms

back seat

British  

noun

  1. a seat at the back, esp of a vehicle

  2. 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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Everything else is going to have to take a back seat to those priorities.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

But he was also floating within the major label labyrinth, which often came with financial expectations that put artistic expression in the back seat.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

“With soft economic data taking a back seat, conflict duration is key.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Canter has limited coaching experience and very much takes a back seat when Petchey is also on the court.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026

I slide the groceries and my backpack into the back seat and climb in beside them.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.