autocomplete

American  

[aw-toh-kuhm-pleet] / ˌɔ toʊ kəmˈplit /

verb (used with object)

autocompleted, autocompleting

1. to complete (a sequence of characters) in a text field in a digital document or app.

   Why would this library app autocomplete a book’s title if they don’t have it?!

2. sometimes used interchangeably with autofill.

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noun

1. a feature of a messaging app, word processor, email program, web browser, etc., that automatically predicts the remaining characters in a word or phrase based on what has been typed or input before.

   Using autocomplete makes typing on my phone’s tiny keyboard so much faster.

Other Word Forms

• autocompletion
  noun

Etymology

Origin of autocomplete

First recorded in 1990–95; auto- ³ ( def. ) + complete ( def. )

Example Sentences

What began as a way to autocomplete code quickly evolved into semiautonomous AI bots, or “agents,” that can work for hours on end with little human oversight.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 21, 2026

They noted a viral essay by Matt Schumer, the co-founder and CEO of autocomplete tool company OthersideAI, warning most people would be “blindsided” by AI.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 16, 2026

Cursor, an AI start-up, is seeing accelerating demand for its programming assistant, which enables programmers to autocomplete code, fix bugs faster, and automate boilerplate tasks.

From Barron's • Dec. 30, 2025

The country's biggest search engine, Naver, has disabled autocomplete and related search suggestions for candidates, as it usually does during election season.

From BBC • May 22, 2025

In the coming months, GitHub also will let engineers use their employer’s own codebase to help autocomplete programs they’re working on, Dohmke said.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 27, 2024