driver's seat
Americannoun
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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.
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
By then she may even be in the driver’s seat.
From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026
Mercedes’s move to put Antonelli in the driver’s seat at 17 years old was seen as a huge risk.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
With AI back in the driver’s seat, these pitfalls may come back into focus too.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
He climbed into the driver’s seat as soon as Gibby opened the door.
From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
