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
The governor released a letter written to President Joe Biden last week about the drones, referred to as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the note.
—
Ray Lewis, Baltimore Sun, 20 Dec. 2024
Some American officials have even called for a state of emergency to be declared, with President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers calling for the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to be shot down.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Under the restrictions, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are not permitted to operate in those areas, unless operators are granted explicit government authorization.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024
How the theory spread online On Dec. 14, John Ferguson, the CEO of an unmanned aircraft systems manufacturer based in Kansas, posted a TikTok video that suggested the drones may be detecting gas leaks or radioactive material on the ground.
—Emma Li, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unmanned 
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Ray Lewis, Baltimore Sun, 20 Dec. 2024
Some American officials have even called for a state of emergency to be declared, with President-elect Donald Trump and other Republican lawmakers calling for the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to be shot down.
—Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Under the restrictions, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are not permitted to operate in those areas, unless operators are granted explicit government authorization.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 20 Dec. 2024
How the theory spread online On Dec. 14, John Ferguson, the CEO of an unmanned aircraft systems manufacturer based in Kansas, posted a TikTok video that suggested the drones may be detecting gas leaks or radioactive material on the ground.
—Emma Li, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unmanned
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Dictionary Entries Near unmanned
Cite this Entry
“Unmanned.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unmanned. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unmanned
adjective
un·manned
ˌən-ˈmand 
ˈən-
: having no crew aboard
an unmanned spacecraft
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