driver's seat
Americannoun
-
the seat from which a vehicle is operated.
-
a position of power, dominance, control, or superiority.
After the election the Democrats were back in the driver's seat.
Etymology
Origin of driver's seat
First recorded in 1920–25
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.
That’s a sign bond yields are now in the driver’s seat.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
It takes five hours, but finally synchronised cries of excitement come from the driver's seat and the back of the pick-up truck.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
I occasionally see Waymos in New York—but with a person in the driver’s seat, ostensibly able to intervene while the system learns the city’s challenges.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Zhengfeng Bo, who had been in the driver’s seat, began to comply, according to surveillance video obtained by a local TV station.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Miss Love didn’t see him coming towards us till he was nearly to the driver’s seat.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
