Meanings
- not comparableOf a motor vehicle: equipped with sensors and computer technology to allow it to drive without a human operator.
Computer vision is used in image recognition systems and also in self-driving technologies.
2019 February 3, “UN Study: China, US, Japan Lead World AI Development”, in Voice of America, archived from the original on 07 Feb 20193 more examples
Mercedes-Benz has received approval for a self-driving system paving the way for it to be able to offer the technology to customers where national legislation allows its use.
2021 December 9, Gareth Roberts, “Mercedes-Benz self-driving car technology approved for use”, in FleetNewsBy self-driving vehicles, we mean those listed as automated vehicles by the Secretary of State for Transport under the Automated and Electric Vehicles Act 2018. (...) These vehicles are capable of safely driving themselves when the self-driving function is correctly turned on and the driver follows the manufacturer’s instructions.
2022 December 31, “The Highway Code 2022 valid 2023, UK, page 4”, in The Highway Code 2022 valid 2023, UK, page 4, archived from the original on 22 Sep 2023Toyota Motor Corp. will begin a self-driving transportation service in Odaiba, Tokyo, this summer using the technology of Level 4 autonomous driving — automated driving under certain conditions — with the aim of starting a driverless robotaxi business in the future, sources said.
2024 February 11, “Toyota to Launch Japan’s First Fully Automated Driving Service on Public Roads Starting in Odaiba, Tokyo, This Summer”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)
- uncountableThe ability of a motor vehicle to drive itself without a human operator; the technology that enables this.
Self-driving will re-arrange the economic landscape of the world, like the invention of the automobile did.
2017 August 25, Yarrow Bouchard, “Self-Driving: The Companies That Will Win (And Lose)”, in Seeking Alpha, archived from the original on 29 Nov 20222 more examples
China’s approach to self-driving reflects its attitude to development more broadly: heavy on infrastructure and government oversight, lighter on cutting-edge technology and civil liberties.
2019 October 12, “Chinese firms are taking a different route to driverless cars”, in The Economist, archived from the original on 28 Dec 2022Billed as the first everyday consumer application of AI, self-driving has simultaneously inspired its champions and proved a worry for its investors.
2020 December 24, Stan Boland, “It’s time for self-driving cars to really take off... but not for people”, in Wired UK, archived from the original on 12 Aug 2022
Origin
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 無人駕駛 /无人驾驶, 自動駕駛 /自动驾驶
- 無人駕駛 /无人驾驶 (wúrén jiàshǐ)ability of a motor vehicle to drive itself
- 自動駕駛 /自动驾驶 (zìdòng jiàshǐ)ability of a motor vehicle to drive itself
Danish selvkørende
- selvkørendeequipped with sensors and computer technology to allow it to drive without a human operator — see also driverless
Dutch zelfrijdend
- zelfrijdendequipped with sensors and computer technology to allow it to drive without a human operator — see also driverless
German selbstfahrend
- selbstfahrendequipped with sensors and computer technology to allow it to drive without a human operator — see also driverless
Hungarian önvezető, önvezetés
- önvezetőequipped with sensors and computer technology to allow it to drive without a human operator — see also driverless
- önvezetésability of a motor vehicle to drive itself
Swedish självkörande
- självkörandeequipped with sensors and computer technology to allow it to drive without a human operator — see also driverless
Cite this entry
self-driving. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-driving
“self-driving.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-driving. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “self-driving,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/self-driving.
Source: self-driving on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.