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self-acting

American  
[self-ak-ting] / ˈsɛlfˈæk tɪŋ /

adjective

  1. acting by itself; automatic.


self-acting British  

adjective

  1. not requiring an external influence or control to function; automatic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of self-acting

First recorded in 1670–80


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Its new rule said bump stocks were illegal machine guns because they function as “a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism that allows the firing of multiple rounds through a single function of the trigger.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2024

It said the bump stock device functions as “a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism that allows the firing of multiple rounds through a single pull of the trigger.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2023

The carriage traverse is self-acting and has three changes of feed, by means of the feed cones shown.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Joshua Rose

The self-acting lathe, or engine lathe, implying that there is a slide rest actuated automatically to traverse the tool to its cut or feed.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Joshua Rose

One of the most important inventions in connexion with the hosiery trade was the latch, tumbler, or self-acting needle invented by Matthew Townsend and David Moulding of Leicester in 1858.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 7 "Horticulture" to "Hudson Bay" by Various

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