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.
It has also teamed up with Uber Technologies and U.K. self-driving car startup Wayve to offer robotaxi services.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Waymo must stop using two Santa Monica charging stations overnight — for now — after a judge found the city might prevail in its contentious legal fight against the self-driving taxi company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Level 4 refers to a fully self-driving system that requires no intervention from the driver, but is limited to specific areas, weather conditions and speed limits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 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
For scale, fiscal 2026 brought in $215.9 billion in total revenue, with data center at $193.7 billion and the line that bundled automotive and robotics together at $2.3 billion, almost all of it self-driving.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 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.
