catbird seat

American

noun

Informal.

an advantageous situation or condition.

His appointment as acting dean put him in the catbird seat.

catbird seat Idioms

A situation of advantage or superiority, as in His promotion put Charles in the catbird seat. This term is thought to allude to that noisy bird's habitual high perch. It was popularized in the 1940s by sportscaster Red Barber.

Etymology

Origin of catbird seat

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

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.

See Examples For:

catbird seat

They are in the catbird seat to monetize AI.

From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026

It sounds as if Musk is really in this catbird seat.

From Slate ● Aug. 1, 2025

In the meantime, Catalent and Thermo are "in the catbird seat" leading the market due to their existing capabilities, said Barclays analyst Luke Sergott.

From Reuters ● Oct. 9, 2023

Now, fresh from a redesign by interiors ace Martin Brudnizki—also behind the reno of New York’s Beekman hotel—the Bloomsbury Hotel is back in the catbird seat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2017

Still, the IOC is not totally in the catbird seat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2015

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