back burner

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noun

a condition of low priority or temporary deferment (usually used in the phrase on the back burner): Put other issues on the back burner until after the election.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of back burner

First recorded in 1945–50; from the custom in cooking of placing pots not requiring immediate attention toward the rear of the stove

Words nearby back burner

back boiler, backbone, backbreaker, backbreaking, backburn, back burner, back burner, on a, backcast, back catalogue, back channel, backchat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use back burner in a sentence

As GDP growth becomes a top priority, pollution control is on a back burner.
The Environmental Challenges of China's Recovery After COVID-19|Yanzhong Huang|February 2, 2021|Time
I’ve kind of been putting it on the back burner or putting my thoughts on anything like that on the back burner just to kind of stay in the moment and relishing the moment because more importantly I don’t want this moment to pass me by.
Stefon Diggs wanted a new start. The Bills needed a spark. Now the NFL is on notice.|Barry Svrluga|January 22, 2021|Washington Post
Now that the hell of 2020 is officially wrapped, I’m taking a dive into some of the localized climate problems we left boiling on the back burner.
San Diego’s Climate Challenges Will Still Be Here in 2021 – and Beyond|MacKenzie Elmer|January 1, 2021|Voice of San Diego
Nice-to-know details were pushed to the back burner in a rush to make sure the new vaccines would be safe and effective.
Once You Get The COVID-19 Vaccine, Can You Still Infect Others?|Maggie Koerth (maggie.koerth-baker@fivethirtyeight.com)|December 18, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

I vacuum-sealed the cheese in half-pound batches and froze the rolls and put the cheesesteak craving on a back burner.
Give in to pandemic cravings, starting with a homemade cheesesteak sandwich|David Hagedorn|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
Denzel Washington in Philadelphia: “There was something like that [with Philadelphia] where I was on the back-burner.”
Bill Murray’s Words of Wisdom: On Comedy, the Greatness of In-N-Out, and Searching For Great Love|Marlow Stern|October 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And while his Town & Country photo shoot nearly broke the Internet, modeling is on the back burner: “Acting is my first priority.”
Scott Eastwood Is More Than Just Clint’s Smokin’ Hot Son|Anna Klassen|September 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for back burner

back burner

noun

on the back burner put aside for the time being, as a subject that is not of immediate concern but that may be activated later; postponed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

back burner

Origin of back burner

Words nearby back burner

Words related to back burner

How to use back burner in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for back burner