automobile
Americannoun
-
automobiles
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
See Examples For:
"We've got to end the Canadian tariff war. It is certainly not helpful to us. It is not helpful to our automobile industry," Rogers said recently.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
China’s own automotive industry took off, inspired by the success of Musk’s vision for the electrified automobile.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
"I've called for that too. I've said let's not send out the diesel. We make a lot of diesel. That could have a little bit of an effect on regular automobile gasoline," he said .
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
While AI plays might be back in vogue, utilities have struggled, as have consumer discretionary stocks, including names tied to automobile components, textiles and luxury goods, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026
After that, they were behind the horse every day, bundled up together under the automobile lap robes, her holding the reins and the whip, him sitting stiff and straight beside her.
From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns
“Using AI to autonomously operate automobiles, trucks, and drones, as well as other industrial automation initiatives, represent a $400 billion market opportunity by increasing equipment uptime while reducing training and operating costs,” they said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
On 8,000 acres in Michigan, Ford’s researchers planted 300 soybean varieties and searched for ways to incorporate the harvest into automobiles.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
One of these automobiles could come cruising into her life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Founded in the 19th century by Jewish brothers Loeb and Moses Simson in Suhl, Thuringia, it grew into a thriving industrial firm that made firearms but also bicycles and luxury automobiles.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Henry Ford had figured out how to manufacture his automobiles on a moving assembly line, and soon others were following suit.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
