on the back burner

idiom

chiefly US
: in the position of something that will not receive immediate attention and action
She put her singing career on the back burner to pursue her dream of being a movie star.

Examples of on the back burner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
After graduating, Michael put camp on the back burner, thinking of it more like a temporary passion project. Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024 In some ways, Oklahoma is on the back burner despite besting Texas a season ago and winning 10 games. Kennington Smith Iii, The Athletic, 6 July 2024 Spence might be trolling fans, but if things were placed on the back burner with PBC, the change to the date and location of the Tank fight might have something to do with the switch. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024 Outgoing Mayor Lamar Hernandez-Thorpe said the city had explored the idea of a substation two years ago but had to put it on the back burner due to the police department’s text scandal and widespread misconduct investigation. Hema Sivanandam, The Mercury News, 14 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for on the back burner 

Dictionary Entries Near on the back burner

Cite this Entry

“On the back burner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on%20the%20back%20burner. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on on the back burner

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!