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

A mass robotaxi outage in the Chinese city of Wuhan caused at least a hundred self-driving cars to stop mid-traffic, sparking renewed debate around the safety of driverless vehicles.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Apollo Go is Baidu's driverless taxi service which began charging for rides in Beijing in 2021 and operates in designated areas across several cities.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026

It also comes one month before Tesla is expected to launch production of a driverless robotaxi called the Cybercab, without traditional controls like a steering wheel or pedals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Although the deal marks Zoox’s first third-party partnership with a platform like Uber, it’s just one of over two dozen for the ride-hailing company, which aims to offer driverless rides in 15 cities this year.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

At this, O king, the great bowman and mighty car-warrior Kritavarma, beholding his gold-decked car made driverless and steedless, became filled with rage.

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