Backburner

Alternative forms

• back-burner
• back burner

Origin

From back + burner.

Full definition of backburner

Noun

1. (countable) A burner of a stove away from the cook's side.
2. (uncountable) A state of being postponed, deferred or given lower priority (from the sense that pots on backburners get less attention).We'll put next year's Christmas party on the backburner until we deal with the current financial crisis.

Verb

1. To relegate to a lower priority
• 2013, Lorna Stewart, BBC News, Love letters and kindness may improve mental health"What I noticed was that my sadness and loneliness got backburnered," she told the BBC.