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

The woman behind the wheel was released after being interviewed by investigators that day. — Kelsie Cairns, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026

Jean Claude Saint Cyr Broward Corrections Jean Claude Saint Cyr was behind the wheel during the violent crash in a Deerfield Beach neighborhood. — Ted Scouten, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

The mapping will be done manually, with a driver behind the wheel, to improve the Waymo Driver software’s understanding of real-world conditions and traffic patterns. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

James’s office determined that the cop behind the wheel, Officer Raymond Perez, wouldn’t be charged criminally. — John Annese, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 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