autopilot

[ aw-toh-pahy-luht ]

noun

1. automatic pilot.

autopilot

/ ˌɔːtəˈpaɪlət; -təʊ- /

noun

1. See automatic pilot
   short for automatic pilot

Word History and Origins

Origin of autopilot¹

auto- ³ + pilot

Example Sentences

The Dragon features a full-time autopilot program, requiring no astronaut intervention.

From Time

I just drift through the landscape on autopilot, turning wherever the nice lady in my phone tells me to turn.

From Outside Online

Biles admitted to them that she had been operating on a sort of autopilot, doing what was expected of her but not particularly enjoying it.

From Time

A lot of autopilot systems are even capable of safely and smoothly landing planes.

From Singularity Hub 

The country has been pretty much on autopilot with its top ministers, including Modi, seldom seen.

From Time

The autopilot would be used throughout a normal flight because the 777, like all large airliners, is difficult to fly manually.

From The Daily Beast

Frequent attempts to contact the Boeing 737 failed as it flew on under the control of the autopilot.

From The Daily Beast

Australian investigators say they believe the doomed Boeing 777 flew on autopilot and that the crew was incapacitated.

From The Daily Beast

Consequently they had given false readings which, in turn, had caused the autopilot system to shut down.

From The Daily Beast

From infrastructure improvements to entitlement spending, government is on autopilot, according to author Philip K. Howard.

From The Daily Beast

The autopilot functioned perfectly, however, and Logan trusted it to the point of insouciance.

From Project Gutenberg

Jason hauled the control wheel into a tight turn and the autopilot gentled it to a soft curve.

From Project Gutenberg

The autopilot could not be shut off, it rode along with the manual controls, tempering foolish piloting.

From Project Gutenberg

He leaped to the controls, switched off the autopilot, and broke out of orbit, going back for a return look.

From Project Gutenberg

The autopilot requested, and received, clearance to land at its preassigned base.

From Project Gutenberg