self-acting

American  

[self-ak-ting] / ˈsɛlfˈæk tɪŋ /

adjective

1. acting by itself; automatic.

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self-acting British  

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• self-action noun

Etymology

Origin of self-acting

First recorded in 1670–80

Example Sentences

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

Next to the hand slide rest lathe comes the self-acting or engine lathe.

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

Faculties which are thoroughly self-acting are generally bold and radical.

From Hania by Sienkiewicz, Henryk

Clausius also gave us the extremely important principle: It is impossible for a self-acting machine, unaided, to transfer heat from one body at a low temperature to another having a higher temperature.

From A History of the Growth of the Steam-Engine by Thurston, Robert H.