in the driver's seat

phrase

: in a position in which one is able to control what happens
When his boss went on vacation, he suddenly found himself in the driver's seat.

Examples of in the driver's seat 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.
Per the criminal complaint, Sanders, 29, was found slumped in the driver's seat of his car going in and out of consciousness. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Aug. 2026 For the past two years, most of healthcare's AI conversation has centered on the co-pilot—a smart assistant that drafts a note, summarizes a chart or answers a question while a human stays firmly in the driver's seat. — Tammy Hawes, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026 Police believed the killer had broken Fandrich's neck and killed him inside the minivan, before staging his body back in the driver's seat of his own vehicle. — Lauren Clark, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Now, White will try to lead the Fever through that controversy all the way to the playoffs, as the Fever are one of the hottest teams in the league and are in the driver's seat to clinch the top seed in the East. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for in the driver's seat

Rhymes for in the driver's seat

See All Rhymes for in the driver's seat

Browse Nearby Words

in the doghouse
in the driver's seat
in the end
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“In the driver's seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20driver%27s%20seat. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of dissonant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All