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

“Even within the food program, food chemical issues have largely taken a backseat to more traditional food safety issues, like food pathogens, E. coli and foodborne illness outbreaks.”

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2026

At times their own desires and tastes take a backseat to the demands of others, and Nguyen also captures moments when candid feelings of frustration and ambivalence slip through.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

In moments of controversy, the backseat car image can carry a particularly sharp edge - because it often presents the celebrity in an unflattering way.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Usually at songbook shows, the vocalists are the focus of our attention, with the musicians, even if they are onstage, as they are here, taking a backseat.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

Dad drove, with Mother next to him, and I rode in the backseat with Shawn.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover