back burner

NOUN

reduced priority

Synonyms

WEAK

abeyance cold storage limbo suspension

Antonyms

WEAK

front burner

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The film tries to make a tongue-in-cheek commentary about how the “Scream” reboot pushed Neve Campbell to the back burner and focused on a new group of teenagers.

From Salon • Jun. 11, 2026

Those who were thinking about the parties' green policies said they feared climate change had been "put on the back burner".

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

It is possible that Jenner hasn’t given much thought to the currently listed home, putting it on the back burner.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026

The results highlight the tough road ahead for Tesla as Musk tries to turn the focus to the company’s artificial intelligence and robotics strategies, putting the electric vehicle business on the back burner.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Guilt, like pudding, began bubbling on the back burner.

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman