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self-acting

American  
[self-ak-ting] / ˈsɛlfˈæk tɪŋ /

adjective

  1. acting by itself; automatic.


self-acting British  

adjective

  1. not requiring an external influence or control to function; automatic

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of self-acting

First recorded in 1670–80

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.

Its new rule said bump stocks were illegal machine guns because they function as “a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism that allows the firing of multiple rounds through a single function of the trigger.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2024

It said the bump stock device functions as “a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism that allows the firing of multiple rounds through a single pull of the trigger.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 3, 2023

Thus the self-acting tool feed may take place vertically or across the work table at will by simply placing the pinion upon the cross-feed screw or upon the feed rod, as the case may be.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua

Besides devising numerous useful forms of galvanometers and other electrical instruments of precision, Werner Siemens was one of the discoverers of the principle of the self-acting dynamo.

From The Romance of Industry and Invention by Cochrane, Robert

There is a separate set of change wheels for each saddle, so arranged as to cut standard pitches up to 3-inch pitch, and for self-acting feeds down to 50 per inch.

From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua

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