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.
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
Obviously having the great Jean Smart in the driver’s seat helped a lot — she revealed the woman beneath the diva even in Deborah’s most outrageous actions.
From Los Angeles Times • May 29, 2026
Her rationale is that it puts brands back in the driver’s seat.
From Barron's • May 12, 2026
Then Smiley crowded close up behind the driver’s seat to talk ugly about the rich-lookin’ stranger from Texas.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
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.
