Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

pilotless aircraft

American  

noun

  1. an aircraft equipped for operation by radio or by robot control, without a human pilot aboard; drone.


Etymology

Origin of pilotless aircraft

First recorded in 1940–45; 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:

Unfortunately, it seems these are the last days of envelope-pushing men and women in naval aviation; pilotless aircraft are more reliable and they’re next.

From Washington Times ● May 12, 2022

The planes were showcasing an experimental technology introduced in World War II. During the war, pilotless aircraft served as missiles, delivering a punch to hardened, well-defended targets.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 18, 2021

Boeing bolstered its portfolio of unconventional, pilotless aircraft last year by buying Aurora Flight Sciences, whose projects include a new flying taxi it is developing with Uber Technologies.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 4, 2018

Packages would supposedly be dropped on to people's lawns by small pilotless aircraft.

From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2013

The public congressional hearing on "drone-kill policy" was noteworthy: government officials refrained for years from even uttering the word "drone" when talking about the use of armed, pilotless aircraft because such operations were classified.

From Reuters ● Feb. 27, 2013

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training