put on the back burner

Meaning

This idiom comes from cooking, where pots on the back burners of a stove receive less heat and attention while you focus on the front. Metaphorically, it means to temporarily delay, postpone, or give low priority to a project, idea, or task.

Examples

• We had to put the kitchen renovation on the back burner until we save more money.

  We had to put the kitchen renovation on the back burner until we save more money.

• I've put my novel-writing project on the back burner for now to focus on my exams.

  I've put my novel-writing project on the back burner for now to focus on my exams.

• Let's put that marketing campaign on the back burner until next quarter.

  Let's put that marketing campaign on the back burner until next quarter.

• She had to put her travel plans on the back burner because of her new job.

  She had to put her travel plans on the back burner because of her new job.

• That feature request has been put on the back burner while we fix these critical bugs.

  That feature request has been put on the back burner while we fix these critical bugs.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ put on the behind burner

  ✓ put on the back burner

  The correct adjective is 'back', referring to the physical rear burners of a cooking stove.

• ✗ put on a back burner

  ✓ put on the back burner

  Idioms are often rigid; we almost always use the definite article 'the' rather than 'a' in this phrase.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Since we don't have the budget, we need to ___ this project.

  💡 Postpone or deprioritize.

  Show answer

  put on the back burner

• We decided to ___ our vacation plans until next year.

  💡 Delay our travel ideas for now.

  Show answer

  put on the back burner