driverless

American  

[drahy-ver-lis] / ˈdraɪ vər lɪs /

adjective

1. 1. not having a human driver in control.

      The horse became startled and the now driverless horse-drawn carriage ran into a car.

   2. without a human operator.

      driverless machinery.

2. (of a vehicle) navigated and maneuvered by a computer without a need for human control or intervention under a range of driving situations and conditions.

   a driverless car.

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Etymology

Origin of driverless

First recorded in 1840–1850

Example Sentences

Baidu operates its Apollo Go driverless taxi service in dozens of cities across the world, mostly in China.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

In the fourth quarter of 2025, Apollo Go delivered 3.4 million driverless rides, with total rides increasing over 200 percent compared to the same period a year prior, according to company filings.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

The rollout will begin with data-collection vehicles before moving to supervised launches and later driverless operations.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

Musk is competing with Waymo, the Alphabet-owned ride-hailing service that operates fully driverless taxis in 10 cities, as well as Zoox, an Amazon-backed robotaxi effort.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2026

Made steedless and driverless in that battle by Yuyudhana, skilled in weapons, Kritavarma came down on the Earth.

From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Ganguli, Kisari Mohan