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
Take the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission’s shifts into your own hands with the paddles behind the wheel to keep the howling V8 near the redline, click the manettino drive mode switch into Race, and this GT transforms into a vicious back-road-devouring beast.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 17 May 2024
An Uber vehicle operating autonomously, with a safety driver behind the wheel, hit and killed a person who was jaywalking in Tempe.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2024
The officer behind the wheel fired at Layne, who evaded being hit but didn’t escape custody.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024
Drew Barrymore is turning back time — from behind the wheel!
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Vanna White will be turning more than letters in a gorgeous creation from Christian Siriano on Monday's episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.
The Project Runway mentor is also stepping behind the wheel to compete against Sarah Levy and Krysten Ritter on the latest episode of the TV favorite.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 6 May 2024
If anything, it’s burnished by how exciting and involving this compact SUV is from behind the wheel.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 3 May 2024
George Pino was behind the wheel of a 29-foot Robolo twin 300-horsepower engine center console boat on Sept. 4, 2022, returning from celebrating his daughter’s 18th birthday on Elliott Key.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Road rage: What makes some people more prone to anger behind the wheel
Science Advances.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2024
Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 17 May 2024
An Uber vehicle operating autonomously, with a safety driver behind the wheel, hit and killed a person who was jaywalking in Tempe.
—Corina Vanek, The Arizona Republic, 13 May 2024
The officer behind the wheel fired at Layne, who evaded being hit but didn’t escape custody.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 9 May 2024
Drew Barrymore is turning back time — from behind the wheel!
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
Vanna White will be turning more than letters in a gorgeous creation from Christian Siriano on Monday's episode of Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.
The Project Runway mentor is also stepping behind the wheel to compete against Sarah Levy and Krysten Ritter on the latest episode of the TV favorite.
—Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 6 May 2024
If anything, it’s burnished by how exciting and involving this compact SUV is from behind the wheel.
—Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 3 May 2024
George Pino was behind the wheel of a 29-foot Robolo twin 300-horsepower engine center console boat on Sept. 4, 2022, returning from celebrating his daughter’s 18th birthday on Elliott Key.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 3 May 2024
Road rage: What makes some people more prone to anger behind the wheel
Science Advances.
—Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 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 23 May. 2024.
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