autopilot

noun

au·​to·​pi·​lot ˈȯ-tō-ˌpī-lət 

1

: a device for automatically steering ships, aircraft, and spacecraft

also : the automatic control provided by such a device

2

: automatic pilot sense 2

Examples of autopilot in a Sentence

an airplane equipped with an autopilot

The plane was flying on autopilot.

Recent Examples on the Web

Tesla has implemented autopilot and self-driving features on its vehicles that include traffic-aware cruise control, semi-autonomous navigation, response to traffic lights and the ability to summon the car from a parking space. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Nov. 2025

Uranus was trying to wake you up from autopilot. —Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 2 Nov. 2025

Autonomous drone swarm operations Palladyne claims that by employing sensor fusion from diverse sources, Pilot enables drones to independently and collaboratively track targets while dynamically interfacing with autopilots. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2025

As a mother of three, Shahi shifted into autopilot, focusing on staying organized and getting through each day as efficiently as possible. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

auto- + pilot entry 1, as shortening of automatic pilot

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for autopilot

• eyelet
• islet
• pilot
• stylet