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.
Throughout the day, Reyez dips the gear into an ice chest he keeps next to the driver’s seat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 3, 2026
Steering the conversation with the right questions keeps us in the driver’s seat and seeing around corners.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
With the Wayans brothers firmly back in the driver’s seat, horror parody “Scary Movie” muscled its way past He-Man for the top spot at the box office this weekend.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
Kidd landed in Dallas instead and seemed in the driver’s seat for a long ride until the Doncic trade.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
I sink into the driver’s seat and tell myself this is a good thing.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
