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
Yaron Steinbuch… will start enforcing a requirement for commercial truck drivers travelling between provinces to track their hours behind the wheel …—Karina Zapata
Karina ZapataExamples of behind the wheel in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nearly three years after a high-speed migrant smuggling chase tore through the small West Texas town of Ozona and killed a grandmother and her 7-year-old granddaughter, a federal grand jury has indicted the Louisiana man authorities say was behind the wheel.
—Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026
From midgets to Indy cars, from sprint cars to stock cars, Stewart was at home behind the wheel.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum, who was behind the wheel, then exited the vehicle — and five shots were then heard.
—Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Cops quickly determined the 42-year-old suspect was drunk behind the wheel and charged him with driving while intoxicated.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for behind the wheel
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Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 12 Feb. 2026
From midgets to Indy cars, from sprint cars to stock cars, Stewart was at home behind the wheel.
—Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2026
Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum, who was behind the wheel, then exited the vehicle — and five shots were then heard.
—Asal Rezaei, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Cops quickly determined the 42-year-old suspect was drunk behind the wheel and charged him with driving while intoxicated.
—Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 7 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for behind the wheel
Cite this Entry
“Behind the wheel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behind%20the%20wheel. Accessed 18 Feb. 2026.
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