unmanned

adjective

un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand How to pronounce unmanned (audio)
1
see usage paragraph below : not carrying, staffed, or performed by people : not manned
an unmanned railroad crossing
unmanned spaceflight
2
of a hawk : not trained
Usage of Manned and Unmanned

While manned and unmanned are still commonly used in news sources to describe spaceflights, NASA has since the early 21st century used and prescribed non-gender-specific terms, preferring such descriptors as human, piloted, and crewed for the former, and unpiloted and uncrewed for the latter.

Examples of unmanned 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.
The Context At the end of March, Chinese authorities issued air operator certificates to two major players, EHang Holdings and Hefei Hey Airlines, granting them the ability to run unmanned passenger drones—autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs)—in the country. David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025 In Mesquite, Texas, about 15 miles east of Dallas, Walmart customers can sign up to receive orders within 30 minutes, delivered on Zipline’s newest unmanned aerial vehicles, known as P2 Zips. Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 8 Apr. 2025 Kim said unmanned control and AI capability must be the top priorities in modern arms development. Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 27 Mar. 2025 Since February 2022, using unmanned attack drones, Ukraine has successfully sunk or damaged Russian ships and whittled away at Russia’s Black sea fleet, sinking about 15 of its prewar fleet of about 36 warships and damaging many others. Colin Flint, The Conversation, 25 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unmanned

Word History

First Known Use

1544, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of unmanned was in 1544

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unmanned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmanned. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

unmanned

adjective
un·​manned ˌən-ˈmand How to pronounce unmanned (audio)
ˈən-
: having no crew aboard
an unmanned spacecraft

More from Merriam-Webster on unmanned

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