backseat

American

[bak-seet] / ˈbækˈsit /

noun

a seat at the rear.

idioms

take a backseat, to occupy a secondary or inferior position.

Her writing has taken a backseat because of other demands on her time.

Etymology

Origin of backseat

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor had just been released from police custody when a haunted photo of him, slumped in the backseat of a car, suddenly dropped.

From BBC

I had my brother drive me with my sister in the backseat.

From Los Angeles Times

Sliding on my flip-flops, braiding my frizzy hair, tucking the postcards into my black-and-white checkerboard purse and squeezing into the backseat between Emma and Andre—even that made sense.

From Literature

I used to drive an older Camry and it got to the point where I was crossing ladders through the passenger seat and I popped the spraycan in the backseat.

From Los Angeles Times

But her business career has had to take a backseat while she fought for her endometriosis to be recognised as a disability.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023