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.
-
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
-
am automatingprogressive
-
are automatingprogressive
-
is automatingprogressive
-
have been automatingperfect progressive
-
has been automatingperfect progressive
Past
-
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:
Once you decide the amount of money you want to put toward this bill each month, automate payments on payday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
For some workers AI might be a useful tool, but robots could automate other jobs, he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
With lean teams, many small-caps can adopt AI tools quickly, automate workflows, and expand capacity without proportionally growing head count.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Bayne is an inventor, with patent-pending applications for artificial intelligence tools that automate legal workflows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
He entered the receptionist's office, flicked a hand at LaVerne Sandell, one of the few employees it seemed impossible to automate out of her position, and said, "The Chief is probably expecting me."
From Subversive by John Schoenherr
"We are really trying to address the staff shortage, not replace drivers," said Milo Belien, a software engineer at Futurail, a French-German start-up that automates trains.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Amazon.com, already one of the world’s biggest robot makers, is scaling up production as it automates more of the work inside its warehouses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
“As AI automates more of the economy and more of society, we are handing over more and more power to it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
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
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
That improvement could be especially important as large language models, automated content moderation, and other AI technologies increasingly depend on understanding human communication.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
The data-center buildout trouble continues this week as Texas suspends its automated electronic filing system.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
A survey conducted by Censuswide among 2,000 UK workers who had applied for at least one job in the past 24 months found that 75% were unaware of their right to challenge an automated rejection.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Super Cruise is its hands-free automated driving assistance system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
I’m about to comment on how lovely their home is when an automated voice comes on over speakers somewhere in the ceiling.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
More recently, the evolution of AI has increased the ease with which these websites can be populated with content, eliminating the need to pay writers and automating the production of social media posts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026
The real danger of automating our ordinary encounters isn’t that we’ll suddenly forget what human connection feels like.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
That could involve redesigning tax structures to "make it a bit more attractive to hold on to workers than automating them," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
Dean, who joined Google as its 30th employee in 1999, will be CEO at a new public-benefit corporation called Discovery Loop that aims to accelerate technology by automating complicated, multistep science and engineering tasks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Instantly I begin counting a beat in my head, automating my actions.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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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.
