autopilot

American

[aw-toh-pahy-luht] / ˈɔ toʊˌpaɪ lət /

noun

automatic pilot.

autopilot British

/ ˌɔːtəˈpaɪlət, -təʊ- /

noun

short for automatic pilot

"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

Etymology

Origin of autopilot

auto- ³ + pilot

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.

According to Tesla’s marketing materials for autopilot and Full Self-Drive mode, “the system is designed to be able to conduct short and long-distance trips with no action required by the person in the driver’s seat.”

From Los Angeles Times

Tuesday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles found External link Tesla violated state law for using misleading terms such as “autopilot” and “Full Self-Driving” to describe Tesla’s driver assistance system.

From Barron's

I grab the rag out of his hand—I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m on autopilot.

From Literature

Target-date funds are permanent autopilot portfolios that neutralize self-destructive investing behavior.

From The Wall Street Journal

But such funds operate on autopilot, and they are constantly rebalancing to maintain the ratio of stocks and bonds that is supposedly appropriate for their various customers.

From MarketWatch

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023