at the wheel

Idioms  

1. In command, in control. For example, Ann hated being told what to do; she wanted to be at the wheel by herself. The analogy here is to the steering wheel of an automobile or other vehicle, or the helm of a vessel. For a synonym, see at the helm.

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Example Sentences

Now the Roadster may be Tesla’s last-ever vehicle designed to have a human driver at the wheel.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

You can feel the vectored torque tugging at the wheel as it fights off understeer in a tight turn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

But when the service launches to paying passengers, there will be no human at the wheel.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

"You're driving with rare earths when you're at the wheel of an electric car, and you need rare earths to make defence materiel like F-35 jets," he added.

From Barron's • Dec. 20, 2025

The only images that came to her were ones she didn’t want to see: three black SUVs driving north from Charleston, packed with Roman demigods, Reyna sitting at the wheel of the lead car.

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan