self-driving
Americanadjective
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(of a machine) operating without the guidance of a human.
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(of a vehicle) navigated and maneuvered by a computer without a need for human control or intervention under a range of driving situations and conditions.
self-driving cars.
Etymology
Origin of self-driving
First recorded in 1830–40
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.
Video from the Citizen App shows a shirtless man standing atop the white self-driving car in the intersection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
Founded in 2016, Momenta develops self-driving systems for passenger vehicles and robotaxis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Unlike Tesla, which designs much of its technology in-house, China's self-driving industry is built around a network of companies.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
The revenue Huang points to is years from mattering; most of today’s physical-AI money is self-driving and factory automation rather than humanoids.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026
But while Tesla bakes that technology into its own vehicles, Wayve thinks selling its systems as an off-the-shelf solution to other automakers could be where the real money is in self-driving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
