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 wheelKarina Zapata

Examples of behind the wheel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Several months later, Cruise self-driving cars returned to the streets, but only in Phoenix with a safety driver behind the wheel. Will McCurdy, PCMAG, 16 Nov. 2024 The company has since returned to the Bay Area with a driver behind the wheel. William Gavin, Quartz, 23 Oct. 2024 The vehicles arrive with safety drivers behind the wheel, ready to intervene in case anything goes wrong. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 23 Oct. 2024 In addition to his time behind the wheel, Newman also co-owned the Newman/Haas IndyCar team with Carl Haas with his cars winning 105 races and eight championships, the paper highlighted. Alexandra Schonfeld, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for behind the wheel 

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of behind the wheel was in 1906

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 1 Dec. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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