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pilotless

American  
[pahy-luht-lis] / ˈpaɪ lət lɪs /

adjective

  1. lacking a pilot or needing no pilot.

    pilotless aircraft.

  2. having no pilot light.

    a pilotless furnace.


Etymology

Origin of pilotless

First recorded in 1595–1605; pilot + -less

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:

Wisk, a pilotless flying taxi made by Boeing, has also been a test bed for automation.

From The Wall Street Journal Oct. 10, 2025

It predicts that the first pilotless flying taxi will take off in 2030.

From BBC Mar. 18, 2024

Asked about a report in the German outlet Der Spiegel that China was negotiating over the shipment of pilotless attack drones to Russia, Kirby said “I have nothing for you on that.”

From Washington Post Feb. 24, 2023

The pilotless, high-altitude balloons can conduct relatively cheap, sustained flights for “months or even years,” the report said.

From Washington Times Feb. 6, 2023

They didn’t get to fly around in private, pilotless helicopters of their own.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

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