View synonyms for

back burner

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.

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of back burner¹

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

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The only treatment offered to her was a Mirena coil, and she now feels she has been "put on the back burner" with no further medication.

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So, this plan was placed on the back burner.

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I wasn’t really keen on going there because it’s kind of been done many times and we put it on the back burner saying, “Someday we’ll figure this out.”

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For now, thoughts of defending his Olympic title in Los Angeles in 2028 are on the back burner.

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In some Democratic-controlled areas, too, school funding has been put on the back burner.

From

backburn back burner, on a

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