Meaning & use
sit back and relax
Last updated
Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
to lean back comfortably and rest, not doing any work.
Grammar: Often an imperative: sit back and relax.
Patterns
- sit back and relax
Sit back and relax while the train takes us there.
After dinner they sat back and relaxed on the porch.
Just sit back and relax, I'll make the coffee.
phrasefixed phraseinformalfigurative
to stop worrying and let others handle things, or let events happen without effort.
Grammar: A figurative use: you can sit back and relax because it's handled.
Patterns
- sit back and relax and let someone do something
With the new system, you can sit back and relax.
The travel agent said we should sit back and relax.
You can't just sit back and relax when your team is behind.
Word forms
| third person singular | sits back and relaxes |
|---|---|
| past tense | sat back and relaxed |
| past participle | sat back and relaxed |
| -ing form | sitting back and relaxing |
Common combinations
- just sit back and relax
- Just sit back and relax, everything is organized.
- sit back and relax with
- She likes to sit back and relax with a good book.
- sit back and relax and enjoy
- Sit back and relax and enjoy the show.
- time to sit back and relax
- It's time to sit back and relax after the exams.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unwind
- Unwind suggests letting tension go after stress, while sit back and relax suggests being comfortable.
- kick back
- Kick back is more casual and mostly American slang.
- take it easy
- Take it easy can mean rest or work less hard, not necessarily sitting.
- put your feet up
- Put your feet up is the British idiom for resting, more physical than sit back and relax.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: sit back and relax or sit back?
sit back and relax vs sit back
Sit back alone can also mean do nothing while others work, which is more negative.
Practice
The flight attendant told us to ___ while she handled the arrangements.
Choose one answer.
Sit back and relax means rest and not worry. The others suggest effort or hurry and do not fit with handling things for you.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sit back and relax”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.