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Glite Dictionary
in the driver's seat

in the driver's seat

17 4.4
Being in control of a situation and making the decisions
  • idiom
translation icon : estar al mando
  • "Does this mean the Democrats are in the driver's seat for the foreseeable future?" he asked.
  • put in the driver's seat
  • in the driver's seat, says
  • stay in the driver's seat

Examples

  • At 8-1, the Falcons are still in the driver's seat in the NFC South.

    Blog text (9)

  • I think Bob has been stellar and is in the driver's seat for COTY.

    Blog text (21)

  • I was never even in the driver's seat of my own life.

    Wild (2014)

  • Usually you are in the driver's seat.

    Love in the Afternoon (1957)

  • The Association is in the driver's seat trying to shift the car into third gear.

    Blog text (14)

  • The winner of the Georgia-Florida game will be in the driver's seat in the SEC East.

    Blog text (27)

  • With three races to go, Buescher looked to be in the driver's seat with a 21-point lead.

    Blog text (32)

  • The new CEO is finally in the driver's seat and can implement her vision for the company.

  • After the recent election, the party is back in the driver's seat and ready to push forward their agenda.

  • With the promotion, she felt she was in the driver's seat, able to make important decisions for the project.

Synonyms

at the wheel
vsin the driver's seat
19 4.3

In charge of a situation or group and guiding what happens

focuses more on having power and responsibility rather than just guiding
driver's seat
vsin the driver's seat
  • Informal
18 4.1

A position of control where someone makes important decisions

is the idiomatic form used in speech to show control and responsibility
in the catbird seat
vsin the driver's seat
  • Archaic
3 9.1

A strong position with power or advantage

emphasizes power with responsibility rather than merely having an advantage

Antonyms

out of hand
  • Informal
176 4.8

A situation that is not under control and hard to manage

subordinate
21 4.8

Lower in rank or importance and under someone's control

How In Control

large and in charge
  • Slang
1 7.8
in the driver's seat
17 4.4
influential
189 4.6

Surface Forms

in the driver's seat main

Morphology

in + the + driver's + seat

The meaning 'in control' is directly and predictably derived from 'driver' (one who controls a vehicle) combined with 'seat' (a position), so being in the driver's seat maps clearly onto having control or responsibility. This physical-to-social metaphor is common across languages and follows an obvious compositional logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents should be able to infer the idiomatic sense.

Etymology

In the driver's seat comes from the simple idea of a person sitting in the driver's seat, hands on the wheel, choosing where the car goes. So, it means 'in control' or 'in charge' of a situation.