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:
Ontario, the most populous province with a significant manufacturing sector, has been hardest hit by the auto and steel tariffs.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Should those buys dry up, US auto factories would be hit hard.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Most of them joined auto companies to make great cars, not to be experts on geopolitics, he told me on a call from Ontario.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Higher technology spending may keep costs elevated, while rising gross impaired loans across auto, mortgages and small and medium-size enterprises warrant monitoring, he adds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
A bicycle repairman was the closest thing to an auto mechanic available, and Howard’s shop was conveniently close to the neighborhoods of wealthy car owners.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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
A regiment was passing through it in auto- buses.
From Over There War Scenes on the Western Front by Arnold Bennett
Canada has retained protection in autos and in dairy, which wasn’t part of the retaliation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 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
Negotiators were reportedly discussing a deal that would reduce US tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium from 50% to 25%, and on Canadian autos from 25% to 15%.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
European stock indexes were mixed, with gains in autos and semiconductors unable to lift the lift the Europe-wide Stoxx 600 index.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Behind the autos came the County Council of Defense, all mounted on Tipped M horses.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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.
