How to Use on the back burner in a Sentence

on the back burner

idiom
Definition of on the back burnernext
  • But the plight of the Sox was on the back burner Monday night at Sox Park.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2023
  • But the plight of the Sox was on the back burner Monday night at Sox Park.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2023
  • But that outside-the-car project’s on the back burner, for now.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 7 June 2019
  • Put fantasies on the table and put the kid-talk on the back burner for the night.
    — Laura Berman, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2023
  • For five weeks, Rongstad placed her life on the back burner.
    — Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2022
  • No more putting your own needs on the back burner, Pisces.
    — Dossé-Via, refinery29.com, 5 June 2023
  • At this point, the outcome of the 2023 season should be on the back burner.
    — Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2023
  • But he’s had to put that on the back burner since cranking up the food truck.
    — Bob Carlton | Bcarlton@al.com, al, 1 Dec. 2021
  • Amid the fallout, Netflix put the Smith movie Fast and Loose on the back burner.
    — Aaron Couch, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Oct. 2022
  • That would mean that the goals she’s set for herself would end up on the back burner.
    — Bryce Covert, The New Republic, 25 Oct. 2023
  • The party may put Biden's spending bill on the back burner and yank voting rights to the front of the line.
    — Grace Segers, The New Republic, 15 Dec. 2021
  • Issues on the back burner, if not addressed, inevitably migrate to the top of the queue.
    — Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2024
  • Stay on the apps but put them on the back burner — only 15 minutes of swiping at a time.
    — Meredith Goldstein, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Aug. 2023
  • The pilot talks put flight attendant talks on the back burner.
    — Ted Reed, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Spend more time with family and friends, and maybe tinker on a few projects which have sat on the back burner for way too long.
    — Brandon Livesay, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2023
  • For some artists, that may mean putting music on the back burner entirely.
    — Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2022
  • But like many working parents, the couple put their redesign on the back burner.
    — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
  • Take a chance and set your routines on the back burner temporarily.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 19 Mar. 2024
  • This is likely to drive up the cost of traveling, meaning that some people may have to put that summer jaunt on the back burner.
    — Justin Klawans, The Week Us, theweek, 25 June 2024
  • Tattooing just simmered on the back burner for me for almost 20 years.
    — Josh Chesler, SPIN, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Today, that push has been abandoned by Republicans and put on the back burner by Democrats.
    — Jennifer Medina, New York Times, 29 July 2022
  • But the global contagion put that decision on the back burner.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 22 Aug. 2023
  • Obviously anything having to do with Rocky’s was placed on the back burner.
    — Shauna Stuart | Sstuart@al.com, al, 17 May 2023
  • The apparel and textile industry in India has been on the back burner in recent years.
    — Mayu Saini, Sourcing Journal, 26 July 2024
  • However, that doesn’t mean that people should put vitamin D on the back burner.
    — Alyssa Hui, Health, 9 Aug. 2024
  • Try not to beat yourself up for putting a few relationships on the back burner or going to bed an hour earlier.
    — Kells McPhillips, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2022
  • Happy Birthday: Let your creativity take over and put any drama that comes your way on the back burner.
    — Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 18 May 2024
  • With crazy work schedules and afternoon happy hours that sometimes lead to even happier nights (wink, wink), adults tend to put rest on the back burner.
    — Khalea Underwood, refinery29.com, 20 Feb. 2024
  • Of course, there’s also a new baby to tend to and work piling up, which can put relationship maintenance on the back burner.
    — Elaine Welteroth, Anchorage Daily News, 18 Feb. 2023
  • Considered a non-essential business by Navajo Nation, the duo put plans on the back burner once again.
    — Sunset Magazine, 23 May 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on the back burner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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