pilot

pilot someone or something through (something)

to guide or steer someone or something through something, especially through a waterway. We hired someone to pilot us through the harbor entrance. The channel was treacherous, and we hired someone to pilot the ship through.

See also: through

pilot something into something and pilot something in

to steer or guide something into something. (Usually refers to steering a ship.) We need to signal for a pilot to pilot our ship into the harbor. Fred piloted in the freighter.

pilot something out of something and pilot something out

to steer or guide something out of something. (Usually refers to steering a ship.) The chubby little man with a pipe piloted the huge ship out of the harbor. The storm made it very difficult to pilot the ship out. Help me pilot out this old tub.

See also: out

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on automatic pilot  (informal) also on autopilot (informal)

if you are on automatic pilot, or do something on automatic pilot, you do something without thinking about what you are doing, usually because you have done it many times before By the second week of the election campaign she was making all her speeches on automatic pilot.

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on automatic pilot also on automatic

doing something without thinking about how or why you do it All the actors in this play seemed to be operating on automatic pilot, and none of them was very good.

Usage notes: also used in the form on autopilot with the same meaning: I was so tired, I was simply running on autopilot.

Related vocabulary: running on empty

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of automatic pilot (a system that flies a plane without human effort)