Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take a back seat

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.76 in modern English

Syllables: take a back- seat
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To adopt a position of noninvolvement.

verb

To be second to someone or something; to be less important or have a lower priority.

Example Sentences

"The new chairman is happy to take a back seat when it comes to day-to-day operations."
"2004, My Life by Bill Clinton But as with most kids, politics took a backseat to daily life."
"The bluntness of King Vajiralongkorn's intervention—and the determination it reveals to resist relatively small checks on royal power—is both a snub to the junta and a worry for democrats, some of whom had dared hope that the new king might be happy to take a back seat in public life."
"Mr. August, a screenwriter for movies like “Charlie’s Angels” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” said that while artificial intelligence had taken a back seat to compensation in the Writers Guild negotiation, the union was making two key demands on the subject of automation."

Etymology

From take a seat and back seat.

Inflected Forms

takes a back seat (present, singular) taking a back seat (participle, present) took a back seat (past) taken a back seat (participle, past)

Phrases

in the back seat in the driver's seat on the back burner second fiddle take a number

Frequently Paired Words

in the back seat in the driver's seat on the back burner second fiddle take a number

Antonyms

take the front seat

Questions

What does take a back seat mean?: To adopt a position of noninvolvement.
Where does take a back seat come from?: From take a seat and back seat.

How to pronounce take a back seat

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “take a back seat”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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