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
On January 19, Rodolfo Fernandez de Velasco, a 71-year-old disabled man, was behind the wheel of a black 2014 Kia Soul that slammed into a sidewall in Miami, at Northwest 14th Avenue and Northwest Second Street, Miami police said.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2025
But the Staten Island district attorney’s office declined to prosecute the teen at the time in the hope of finding more evidence that could put Nesbitt-Hall behind the wheel of the car that caused the carnage.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
Reacher, having produced a revolver that would look comically large in anybody’s hands but his, shoots the would-be kidnapper behind the wheel of the pickup.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Previous on-duty vehicle crash Nangle was behind the wheel while on duty in the 2021 vehicle crash at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 47th Avenue in south Sacramento, according to a lawsuit filed in July 2021 on behalf of Emily Keophommachak.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for behind the wheel
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 21 Feb. 2025
But the Staten Island district attorney’s office declined to prosecute the teen at the time in the hope of finding more evidence that could put Nesbitt-Hall behind the wheel of the car that caused the carnage.
—Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2025
Reacher, having produced a revolver that would look comically large in anybody’s hands but his, shoots the would-be kidnapper behind the wheel of the pickup.
—Chris Klimek, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2025
Previous on-duty vehicle crash Nangle was behind the wheel while on duty in the 2021 vehicle crash at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 47th Avenue in south Sacramento, according to a lawsuit filed in July 2021 on behalf of Emily Keophommachak.
—Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 4 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for 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 6 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share