From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtake a back seat (to somebody/something)take a back seat (to somebody/something)LET/ALLOWto have less influence or importance Foreign policy will take a back seat to domestic problems for a while. → seat
Examples from the Corpus
take a back seat (to somebody/something)• He notes, however, that economic considerations are taking a back seat to budget negotiations.• It was also a year when investment bankers took a back seat.• Turning the original classic topsy-turvy, Stoppard makes Hamlet himself take a back seat and elevates two minor characters to star status.• Long-term planning took a back seat in the deliberations of the senior engineers whose efforts were principally devoted to overcoming short-term problems.• Golf Faldo forced to take a back seat to Walker Cup team.• But when they were introduced, everything upstairs had to take a back seat.• Quality will have to take a back seat to price when we buy the new furniture.• As the race drew closer it was time for Paul to take a back seat.• And very generally, the interests of lenders in New York take a back seat to the interests of the corporate borrowers. 