back seat

noun

ˈbak-ˈsēt 

variants or less commonly backseat

1

: a seat in the back (as of an automobile)

2

: a secondary or inferior position

… the issues and concerns that have sometimes been given a back seat …

—Al Gore

see also take a back seat

Examples of back seat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Edmunds’ first drive in the new all-electric Highlander showed the new version’s way-back seat to be much more comfortable than the outgoing model’s. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026

With Agent Taft reduced to bleeding out in the back seat, the action mainly falls to the president, a former military man with a very special set of skills. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

Both Ruto, behind the wheel, and Chivayo are seen laughing, with Chivayo's wife grinning from the back seat. — Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026

Marris pointed to her daughter, asleep in the back seat of her SUV, and explained Brooklyn’s digestion struggles. — CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1715, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for back seat

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete