back burner

noun

: the condition of being out of active consideration or development
usually used in the phrase on the back burner
back-burner transitive verb

Examples of back burner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Working in middle management at his father-in-law JJ’s (Geoffrey Owens) foam-roller company, Junior has been forced to put his film-directing dreams on the back burner. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024 In the midst of a busy election season, when everyone is going a thousand miles an hour trying to get their candidate elected or get elected themselves, everything else tends to get relegated to the back burner. Adam Jackson, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024 Balancing responsibilities like work and caring for your family, oftentimes means your own health and wellness is put on the back burner. Renée Onque, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2024 Include your interests in vacation planning So often, between keeping the kids entertained and planning family events, mom’s interests get put on the back burner. Essence, 13 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for back burner 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'back burner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1943, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of back burner was in 1943

Dictionary Entries Near back burner

Cite this Entry

“Back burner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/back%20burner. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!