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
California Highway Patrol said 67-year-old Eileen Crawford was behind the wheel of a Honda Civic when the vehicle entered the southbound lanes of I-5 near the San Ysidro Port of Entry around 3 a.m. local time, according to NBC affiliate KNSD.
—Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Police said Knox was driving a Corvette and Rice was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini, racing down North Central Expressway near University Drive in Dallas on March 30.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
The show ended in 2012, but Discovery brought it back in 2017 with Bailey still behind the wheel.
—Tanner Stransky, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Police weren’t able to provide a description of the vehicle or the driver behind the wheel.
—Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The newspaper reported that one of the cars is leased or registered to Rice and that a Dallas police call sheet seen by the newspaper lists Rice as the person who authorities believe was behind the wheel of the Corvette.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
This means using phones and other mobile devices behind the wheel could lead to a fine.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Mar. 2024
The answer from behind the wheel, amazingly, is both.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
They were then photographed when Cooper was behind the wheel as Hadid was in the passenger seat of a vehicle.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 12 Apr. 2024
Police said Knox was driving a Corvette and Rice was behind the wheel of a Lamborghini, racing down North Central Expressway near University Drive in Dallas on March 30.
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Apr. 2024
The show ended in 2012, but Discovery brought it back in 2017 with Bailey still behind the wheel.
—Tanner Stransky, EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Police weren’t able to provide a description of the vehicle or the driver behind the wheel.
—Lyndsay Winkley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2024
The newspaper reported that one of the cars is leased or registered to Rice and that a Dallas police call sheet seen by the newspaper lists Rice as the person who authorities believe was behind the wheel of the Corvette.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024
This means using phones and other mobile devices behind the wheel could lead to a fine.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 30 Mar. 2024
The answer from behind the wheel, amazingly, is both.
—Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2024
They were then photographed when Cooper was behind the wheel as Hadid was in the passenger seat of a vehicle.
—Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'behind the wheel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near 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 24 Apr. 2024.
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