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self-driving

American

[self-drahy-ving] / ˈsɛlfˈdraɪ vɪŋ /

adjective

(of a machine) operating without the guidance of a human.
(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.

A mass robotaxi outage in the Chinese city of Wuhan caused at least a hundred self-driving cars to stop mid-traffic, sparking renewed debate around the safety of driverless vehicles.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

Its purpose-built robotaxis differ from other self-driving cars on the road, which are retrofitted passenger cars.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Analysts have speculated that Musk may eventually merge his biggest holdings together to create one large company focused on EVs, robots, self-driving cars, rockets, AI, social media and more.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 23, 2026

Meanwhile, the Alphabet CEO’s new comp plan is now tied, in part, to Waymo, the self-driving car unit that grew out of Google and helped ignite the original excitement for the technology.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 22, 2026

Uber also will have the option to negotiate the purchase of up to 40,000 more self-driving R2 vehicles beginning in 2030.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023