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Synonyms

driver's seat

American  

noun

  1. the seat from which a vehicle is operated.

  2. 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.

“It’s to place yourself in the driver’s seat, and that is what every single one of them is doing.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

Win those two, and the Kings are back in the driver’s seat.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 29, 2026

“This structure ensures parents stay in the driver’s seat during the learning years, while giving kids real, hands-on experience that prepares them for financial independence,” Jennifer Seitz, Greenlight’s director of education, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Despite his glamorous brush with fame, Ellis has not given up the day job, he is still in the driver's seat on a London Underground train.

From BBC • Jan. 18, 2026

In the driver’s seat, Ms. Morales waited, too.

From "The Strangers" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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.