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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.

Flying-taxi maker Joby Aviation also recently tested its own pilotless Cessna for the Air Force over the Pacific Ocean.

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

The pilotless spacecraft was aiming to be the first ever to land on the south pole of the moon, an area where scientists believe there could be important reserves of frozen water and precious elements.

From Washington Times • Aug. 20, 2023

Archer didn’t disclose details of the investments from Boeing, United and Ark. The company said it will save significant development costs by sourcing autonomy technology from Boeing’s Wisk, which is focused on pilotless aircraft.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 10, 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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