behind the wheel

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 wheel …

—Karina Zapata

Examples of behind the wheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Note, too, that Denise is the parent behind the wheel of their car as the family fruitlessly tries to flee their street. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026

However, car safety goes way beyond just being behind the wheel. — Molly Burford, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026

The ride is reasonably comfortable, steering is light but not vague and the vehicle feels smaller from behind the wheel than its large interior dimensions suggest. — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

On longer tracks with more straights, such as Spa in Belgium or Silverstone in the United Kingdom, the experience behind the wheel has been more galling for drivers thanks to the batteries draining faster and being charged less. — Luke Smith, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for behind the wheel

• automobile
• periosteal
• peritoneal
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal
• congeal
• coquille
• corneal