driverless

American  

[drahy-ver-lis] / ˈdraɪ vər lɪs /

adjective

1. 1. not having a human driver in control.

      The horse became startled and the now driverless horse-drawn carriage ran into a car.

   2. without a human operator.

      driverless machinery.

2. (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.

   a driverless car.

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Etymology

Origin of driverless

First recorded in 1840–1850

Example Sentences

Baidu operates its Apollo Go driverless taxi service in dozens of cities across the world, mostly in China.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026

People who don’t live near one of these early adopter cities might not realize how common the sight of driverless cars has become.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

It also comes one month before Tesla is expected to launch production of a driverless robotaxi called the Cybercab, without traditional controls like a steering wheel or pedals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Although the deal marks Zoox’s first third-party partnership with a platform like Uber, it’s just one of over two dozen for the ride-hailing company, which aims to offer driverless rides in 15 cities this year.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 11, 2026

The earth was also covered with broken shafts and wheels and axles, and with cars that were steedless or that had their steeds and others that were driverless or that had their drivers.

From The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 3 Books 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 by Ganguli, Kisari Mohan