in the driver's seat

prepositional phrase

Having the most important role in a storyline or recognition; of primary importance.

Opposite
in the back seat
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Meanings

prepositional phrase

alternative in the driving seat

  1. idiomaticHaving the most important role in a storyline or recognition; of primary importance.

    Antonyms: in the back seat

  2. idiomaticIn control of an entity or situation.

    That can increase efficiency (when the suggestion is indeed what you had in mind) and spark new ideas (when the suggestion isn’t quite what you had in mind), while keeping the human user in the driver’s seat.

    2025 June 24, Tim Wu, “A.I. Doesn’t Have to Mean a ‘White-Collar Blood Bath’ of Job Loss”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 24 Jun 2025

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseHaving the most important role in a storyline or recognition; of primary importance.

Opposite
in the back seat
Also see
behind the wheel

Translations

Irish sa diallait, i gceannas
  • sa diallaitin control
  • i gceannasin control
Norwegian Bokmål i førersetet
  • i førersetetin control
Polish mieć kontrolę
  • mieć kontrolęin control
Cite this entry
APA

in the driver's seat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20driver's%20seat

MLA

“in the driver's seat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20driver's%20seat. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in the driver's seat,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20the%20driver's%20seat.

Source: in the driver's seat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.