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 wheel …

—Karina Zapata

Examples of behind the wheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

He was stuck deep in the recesses of shock and grief at the loss of the boy who’d labored by his side for so long, a boy who’d never harmed anyone and who had sat behind the wheel of that silver Saab from sunrise to sundown for the family. —Anand Gopal, New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2026

Plus, the driverless taxi company, Waymo, started mapping Chicago’s streets using vehicles that have a human behind the wheel, for now. —Grace Miserocchi, Chicago Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

Thursday, Joshua Alvardo was high while driving to work and passed out behind the wheel. —Carolyn Gusoff, CBS News, 27 Feb. 2026

This can happen even before getting to the point of falling asleep behind the wheel. —Ashley Olivine, Verywell Health, 27 Feb. 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