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.

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Etymology

Origin of driver's seat

First recorded in 1920–25

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

driver's seat

In other dramatic scenes, protesters were seen holding on to one another as they were dragged to waiting buses -- only for them to later wriggle out from the driver's seat or the rear window.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

“With these laws, we are ensuring that Californians remain in the driver’s seat — and that those profiting from data centers aren’t doing so at our expense.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

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

There’s a toll to pay, so Velia put the three dollars in the dead man’s right hand and rested it on the right shoulder pad of the driver’s seat.

From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall

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