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 man behind the wheel overrode driver-assistance features and fully pressed the car’s accelerator, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. — Faiz Siddiqui, Washington Post, 17 July 2026

Cunningham himself would make the famed sprint across the track to start the race, taking the first stint behind the wheel. — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 17 July 2026

The 2 car will in fact run in a special paint scheme that honors Wallace’s accomplishments behind the wheel; Austin Cindric gave Wallace a personal tour of the Penske race shop that ended with the special car unveiling. — Alex Zietlow july 16, Charlotte Observer, 16 July 2026

His first mistake was climbing behind the wheel on July 14 and driving to submit his urine sample. — Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 July 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