seat
( seats plural & 3rd person present) ( seating present participle) ( seated past tense & past participle )
1 n-count A seat is an object that you can sit on, for example a chair.
Stephen returned to his seat..., Ann could remember sitting in the back seat of their car.
2 n-count The seat of a chair is the part that you sit on.
The stool had a torn, red plastic seat.
3 verb If you seatyourself somewhere, you sit down.
WRITTEN He waved towards a chair, and seated himself at the desk. V pron-refl
...a portrait of one of his favourite models seated on an elegant sofa. V-ed
4 verb A building or vehicle that seats a particular number of people has enough seats for that number.
The Theatre seats 570. V amount
5 n-sing Theseatof a piece of clothing is the part that covers your bottom.
usu the N of n
Then he got up and brushed off the seat of his jeans.
6 n-count When someone is elected to a parliament, congress, or senate, you can say that they, or their party, have won a seat.
Independent candidates won the majority of seats on the local council., ...a Maryland Republican who lost his seat.
7 n-count If someone has a seat on the board of a company or on a committee, they are a member of it.
He has been unsuccessful in his attempt to win a seat on the board of the company.
8 n-count The seat of an organization, a wealthy family, or an activity is its base.
with supp
Gunfire broke out early this morning around the seat of government in Lagos.
9
→
deep-seated
→
hot seat
10 If you take a back seat, you allow other people to have all the power and to make all the decisions.
♦
take a back seat phrase V inflects
You need to take a back seat and think about both past and future...
11 If you take a seat, you sit down.
FORMAL
♦
take a seat phrase V and N inflect
`Take a seat,' he said in a bored tone..., Rachel smiled at him as they took their seats on opposite sides of the table.
12 →
in the driving seat →
driving seat →
by the seat of your pants →
pants
back-seat driver ( back-seat drivers plural ) , backseat driver
1 n-count If you refer to a passenger in a car as a back-seat driver, they annoy you because they constantly give you advice., (disapproval)
2 n-count If you refer to someone, especially a politician, as a back-seat driver, you disapprove of them because they try to influence a situation that does not concern them., (disapproval)
They accused the former prime minister of being a backseat driver.
booster seat ( booster seats plural ) , booster cushion A booster seat or a booster cushion is a special seat which allows a small child to sit in a higher position, for example at a table or in a car. n-count
bucket seat ( bucket seats plural ) A bucket seat is a seat for one person in a car or aeroplane which has rounded sides that partly enclose and support the body. n-count
catbird seat
If you say that someone is in the catbird seat, you think that their situation is very good.
(AM)
INFORMAL
♦
in the catbird seat phrase v-link PHR
If he had not been hurt, his team would be sitting in the catbird seat.
country seat ( country seats plural ) A country seat is a large house with land in the country which is owned by someone who also owns a house in a town. n-count
His family have a country seat in Oxfordshire.
county seat ( county seats plural ) A county seat is the same as a county town.
(AM) n-count
driver's seat
1 n-sing In a vehicle such as a car or a bus, thedriver's seat is the seat where the person who is driving sits.
usu the N
2 If you say that someone is in the driver's seat, you mean that they are in control in a situation.
♦
in the driver's seat phrase v-link PHR, PHR after v
Now he knows he's in the driver's seat and can wait for a better deal.
driving seat
1 n-sing In a vehicle such as a car or a bus, thedriving seat is the seat where the person who is driving the vehicle sits.
usu the N
(=driver's seat)
He got into the driving seat and started the engine.
2 If you say that someone is in the driving seat, you mean that they are in control in a situation.
♦
in the driving seat phrase usu v-link PHR, PHR after v
At 69 he is as firmly in the driving seat of the company as ever.
ejector seat ( ejector seats plural ) An ejector seat is a special seat which can throw the pilot out of a fast military aircraft in an emergency. n-count
hot seat
If you are inthe hot seat, you are responsible for making important and difficult decisions.
INFORMAL
♦
the hot seat phrase usu in/into PHR
He is to remain in the hot seat as chief executive.
safe seat ( safe seats plural ) In politics, a safe seat is an area in which the candidate from one particular party nearly always wins by a large number of votes.
(BRIT) n-count
The constituency I live in is a safe Labour seat.
seat belt ( seat belts plural ) , seatbelt A seat belt is a strap attached to a seat in a car or an aircraft. You fasten it across your body in order to prevent yourself being thrown out of the seat if there is a sudden movement. n-count
(=safety belt)
The fact I was wearing a seat belt saved my life.
seat of learning ( seats of learning plural ) People sometimes refer to a university or a similar institution as a seat of learning.
WRITTEN n-count
...one department of that great seat of learning.
window seat ( window seats plural )
1 n-count A window seat is a seat which is fixed to the wall underneath a window in a room.
2 n-count On a train, bus, or aeroplane, a window seat is a seat next to a window.