automate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
automates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
automated,
past participle, past
-
automating
present participle
-
to apply the principles of automation to (a mechanical process, industry, office, etc.).
-
to operate or control by automation.
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to displace or make obsolete by automation (often followed byout ).
The unskilled jobs are going to be automated out.
verb (used without object)
-
automates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
automated,
past participle, past
-
automating
present participle
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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automatesimple
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automatessimple
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have automatedperfect
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has automatedperfect
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am automatingprogressive
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are automatingprogressive
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is automatingprogressive
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have been automatingperfect progressive
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has been automatingperfect progressive
Past
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automatedsimple
-
had automatedperfect
-
was automatingprogressive
-
were automatingprogressive
-
had been automatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of automate
First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from automation
Explanation
When you design a machine to complete a process once done by a human, you automate the process. Standardized tests once had to be graded by hand, now they're automated, i.e. done by computers. If you automate a factory, workers might lose jobs to robots and machines. A century ago, if you did laundry, you had to turn the clothes in the drum by hand. It was really hard work, so hard that in many families one day was set aside as laundry day and everyone had to help. In 1937, the first electric, or automated, washer was sold, with a motor that turned the drum. Since then, the job has become much easier, though most of us still find it a chore.
Vocabulary lists containing automate
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Do it Yourself: Words Beginning with "AUTO"
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: 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:
The technology might still eliminate jobs, manipulate or mislead users, or automate away forms of expression that used to be exclusively human.
From Slate ● Sep. 9, 2026
Among them are Medway Council chiefs who say they will use AI to "draft care plans" and automate invoice processing.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
GXO has spent nearly $1 billion over the past five years to automate more of its buildings, which serve customers such as Levi Strauss, Nike and Verizon Communications.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Retailers Amazon.com and Walmart have each invested heavily to automate and speed up more of their fulfillment processes to get online orders to customers as fast as possible.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Others automate the process using automatic communications scripts.
From The Online World by Odd De Presno
Software that automates price-setting—often driven by AI—can quickly turn that data into tailored pricing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Or, use a smart thermostat: A programmable or smart thermostat automates the heavy lifting, raising temperatures when you’re at work and dropping them right before you walk through the door.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
"This self-regulating behavior helps keep fuel production more stable throughout the day and automates the system, while reducing dependence on batteries and costly external components," he added.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
Chief Executive Allan Thygesen said demand is growing for the company’s AI-native Intelligent Agreement Management platform, which automates the entire lifecycle of business agreements from initial drafting to post-signature data management.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
You get on these by sending a message to a specific e- mail address, which is often that of a computer that automates the process.
From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation
AI-led demand remains a key growth catalyst, with strong wafer fabrication equipment and automated test equipment demand benefiting equipment and engineering services players, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Telegram told the BBC at the time that the company uses both automated and human moderation to tackle CSAM, and that it has "virtually eliminated the public spread of CSAM" on its platform.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
"The tasks are going to be automated, but our jobs' purpose remain," he said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Blackstone is placing an early bet on Huskeys, a cybersecurity startup building an artificial intelligence gatekeeper to protect companies from the growing chaos of automated web traffic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The school did send out a robocall about “Kah-den Boosh” missing one or more classes, because the automated voice can’t pronounce my name.
From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman
With one client, for example, the pod started with a use case around automating invoice processing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026
Investors also fear that generative AI could disrupt the country's $315-billion IT services industry by automating tasks long outsourced to India, such as customer service and app maintenance.
From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026
By automating these repetitive journeys, Geek+ says retailers can increase picking speeds, store more goods in spaces that are hard to reach for humans, and reduce errors.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“Agentic AI trading automates the active, complex work, multistep trades, strategy switching, custom position sizing. That’s not automating discipline; that’s automating action. Not the same thing.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Instantly I begin counting a beat in my head, automating my actions.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
