automatic pilot

noun

1
2
: a state or condition in which activity or behavior is regulated automatically in a predetermined or instinctive manner
doing his job on automatic pilot

Examples of automatic pilot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There’s no automatic pilot. Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 7 June 2022 The boat’s automatic pilot function was likely to have been engaged, with its radar showing what was nearby. Michael Wilson, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of automatic pilot was in 1915

Dictionary Entries Near automatic pilot

Cite this Entry

“Automatic pilot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automatic%20pilot. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

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