auto
noun
auto
1 American
[aw-toh]
/ ˈɔ toʊ /
noun
-
autos
plural
adjective
auto-
2
American
auto-
3
American
auto-
4
American
auto.
5
American
abbreviation
-
automatic.
-
automobile.
-
automotive.
auto
1
British
/ ˈɔːtəʊ /
noun
-
-
short for automobile
-
( as modifier )
auto parts
-
-
informal short for autorickshaw
auto-
2
British
combining form
-
self; same; of or by the same one
autobiography
-
acting from or occurring within; self-caused
autohypnosis
-
self-propelling; automatic
automobile
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of auto1
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; by shortening
Origin of auto-2
< Greek, combining form of autós self
Origin of auto-3
see origin at auto
Explanation
An auto is a car. If you drive your auto too fast, you might get a speeding ticket. The word auto is an informal, shortened form of automobile. You're most likely to hear the word auto when someone's talking about insurance, auto parts, or the auto industry. Automobile was originally a French word, formed from the Greek autos, or "self," and the French mobile, "moving."
Vocabulary lists containing auto
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
They were supplied to the army by Hertz Norge, which is indirectly owned by the Chinese auto group Geely.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
The youngest workforce in the American auto industry walked off the job at the General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, in March 1972.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Paris and Berlin had long been at loggerheads on the course Europe should take as it seeks to revive its struggling auto industry and the accord is likely to shape the continent's policy going forward.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
The move will offer some protection to European carmakers, including Volkswagen and Fiat-maker Stellantis, easing frustration in Europe over the flood of Chinese auto imports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Rode in the boot of a small auto belonging to a chum of Papa Thibaut’s, a Citroen Rosalie—4-cylinder engine, at least 10 years old, running—just—on a disgusting mix of coal tar and sugar-beet ethanol.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
An auto- inflammatory disease is defined by chronic inflammation, unprovoked by an infection, when antibody concentrations are not high.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
So you used to be able to post to WordPress and we would auto- post to Tumblr, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc., and they turned off those API is after Cambridge Analytica.
From The Verge ● Aug. 14, 2019
“Yet while auto- and steelworkers generally shared some of the gains of their industries, the growers rarely got their piece of the pie,” Simon writes.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 1, 2017
Debating the question “is the iCar real?” has become a favorite barroom distraction for auto- and tech journos alike.
From Time ● Apr. 18, 2016
Again, it is said that when the thyroid gland has degenerated there ensues a condition of auto- intoxication, followed by a degeneration of other organs which destroy and eliminate poisons in the blood.
From Vitality Supreme by Bernarr Macfadden
Food, autos, household durables, recreational goods, airlines and delivery services are among the most freight- and fuel-exposed goods-and-services categories, the economists said.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Countries across Europe and Asia worry their domestic industries making autos, electronics and heavy machinery won’t survive China’s push to export its way out of domestic economic troubles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
It has been among the hardest hit by U.S. levies of 50% on steel and 25% on autos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Greer told the New York Times on Saturday that the Trump administration offered to eliminate a 10-percent tariff on softwood lumber, and reduce the 25-percent autos tariff.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
All the roads was paved and they was full of autos.
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
