Meaning & Origin

“On the back burner” means a task or plan has been delayed or given lower priority while more urgent items take focus. The image comes from stovetops: pots that need attention stay on the front burners; slow‑simmer items sit on the back.

Pronunciation Guide

• back burner — stress on “BACK” and “BUR‑ner.”
• on the — often reduced to “on thuh.”
• Natural rhythm: on the BACK BUR‑ner.

Usage & Sentence Examples

Use it when something is postponed due to other priorities.

• Vacation plans are on the back burner until we save more.
• We put the newsletter redesign on the back burner this quarter.
• His marathon training is on the back burner while he rehabs.
• Let’s move the side project to the back burner for now.
• Hiring is on the back burner until budgets reopen.
• Learning piano went on the back burner during finals.

Synonyms

deprioritize · put on hold · postpone · table for now · set aside · lower the priority