automobile
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of automobile
1865–70; < French: literally, self-movable (vehicle). See auto- 1, mobile
Explanation
An automobile is a car: a vehicle with four wheels and an internal combustion engine. The automobile is one of the most common ways to travel. Thanks in part to Henry Ford, automobiles are just about everywhere: in cities, small towns, and even in rural areas, where it's too far to walk from place to place and there's very little public transportation. Trucks, vans, buses, and limousines are bigger than the typical automobile, but they’re automobiles, too. A motorcycle isn't an automobile because it only has two wheels. Automobiles are good for getting around, but they also cause pollution and automobile accidents.
Vocabulary lists containing automobile
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
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Frankenwords: Words with Roots from Different Languages
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: auto-
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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.
The state’s average gas price is $6.13 as of Friday, according to the American Automobile Assn.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
Automobile manufacturers and heavy industries are feeling the adverse affects of higher commodity prices, higher rates, slowing economic activity and increased uncertainty.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
The United States is the second largest market for new EU vehicle exports, after the United Kingdom, according to a 2025 fact sheet by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.
From Barron's • May 1, 2026
Geely Automobile sold a record 709,358 vehicles in the first quarter, with new-energy vehicle sales climbing 9% to 369,059 units.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
“Good morning. This is the Automobile License Bureau. Did you have this same car last year, and if so, what was the license number?”
From "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Florence Atwater and Richard Atwater
Definitions 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.
