backseat

American  

[bak-seet] / ˈbækˈsit /

noun

1. a seat at the rear.

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idioms

1. take a backseat, to occupy a secondary or inferior position.

   Her writing has taken a backseat because of other demands on her time.

Etymology

Origin of backseat

First recorded in 1825–35

Explanation

When you ride in the backseat of a car, you sit in the row of seats behind the driver. Kids sometimes fight over the front seat, not wanting to sit in the backseat. You can travel in the backseat of a automobile, unless you're the driver or are riding in a two-seat sports car. Another way to use the word backseat is to describe "an inferior position." If you take a backseat to your older brother, it means he tends to get all the attention. The word, more commonly written as back seat, was used in the 1800s to talk about riding in coaches and carriages.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

backseat

Taken together, we see hope and its absence wedged in the backseat.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

"Last Sunday he visited the construction site from the backseat of his Maybach", the security guard at the premises told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Jan Leike, who posted publicly that safety culture had “taken a backseat to shiny products.”

From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026

Also on the card, former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou takes on Philipe Lins and fan favourite Diaz faces Mike Perry, but they have mostly taken a backseat to Rousey and Carano in fight week.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

There is a backseat, but it doesn’t look very comfortable.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya