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:
During contract talks in 2023, Fain called targeted strikes of certain auto plants, such as the Kentucky facility where Ford produces its most profitable trucks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The necessity of maintaining fuel efficiency standards is manifest in California, where about 40% of those emissions come from auto and truck tailpipes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
There was a decline of over five percent in the struggling auto sector, although the agency said this was partly due to factory holidays.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Find insight on Porsche, Southwest Airlines, the Chinese EV market and more in the latest Market Talks covering the auto and transport sector.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Then he stuttered, “Aber...but are you nicht in Belgium? The officer, the auto, they were not coming? Your escape was not working?”
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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
Moreover, as was shown by what followed, she was oddly exercising the faculty of invention upon the spe- ciality of the clever Jacquet Droz, the designer of auto- matic substitutes for human limbs.
From Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
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
The breakdown in trade negotiations triggered new 50% U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and 25% tariffs on Canadian autos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 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
One of the autos flew right into the building and crashed through the back wall, leaving a gaping hole.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
