behind the wheel

idiomatic phrase

: in the act of driving
I was nervous my first time behind the wheel.
He urged drivers to stop and rest if they feel tired behind the wheel.Yaron Steinbuch
… will start enforcing a requirement for commercial truck drivers travelling between provinces to track their hours behind the wheelKarina Zapata

Examples of behind the wheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There, officers found Gooden behind the wheel with a gunshot wound to his chest. Keelin Fisher, Arkansas Online, 27 July 2025 The show ended in 2012, but Discovery brought it back in 2017 with Bailey still behind the wheel. Lindsay Soll, EW.com, 25 July 2025 With so few women currently behind the wheel for Uber in the U.S., hopefully this new feature will make driving feel safer, opening doors for more women to earn on the platform. Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 Because her judgment is so poor, your aggressively driving grandmother should not be behind the wheel. Abigail Van Buren, Boston Herald, 23 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for behind the wheel

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of behind the wheel was in 1906

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Cite this Entry

“Behind the wheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behind%20the%20wheel. Accessed 5 Aug. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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