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• auto
  auto

  noun

  automobile.
• auto-
  auto-

  a combining form meaning “self,” “same,” “spontaneous,” used in the formation of compound words.
• auto.
  auto.

  abbreviation

  automatic.

auto

¹ American  

[aw-toh] / ˈɔ toʊ /

noun

• autos
  plural

1. automobile.

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adjective

1. of or relating to automobiles.

   an auto salesman; auto detailing.

auto- ² American  

1. a combining form meaning “self,” “same,” “spontaneous,” used in the formation of compound words.

   autograph, autodidact.

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auto- ³ American  

1. a combining form representing automobile in compound words.

   autocade.

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auto- ⁴ American  

1. a combining form representing automatic in compound words: autoalarm; autofeed; autofocus . Sometimes also taken as an adjective.

   auto enlarger; auto stop control; auto dialer.

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auto. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. automatic.

2. automobile.

3. automotive.

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auto ¹ British  

/ ˈɔːtəʊ /

noun

1. 1. short for automobile

   2. ( as modifier )

      auto parts

2. informal short for autorickshaw

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auto- ² British  

combining form

1. self; same; of or by the same one

   autobiography

2. acting from or occurring within; self-caused

   autohypnosis

3. self-propelling; automatic

   automobile

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• autos
  plural

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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

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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."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

auto auto- autos

While the auto sector and its suppliers have long been struggling, regularly announcing job cuts and plant closures, other industries such as aerospace and defence tech are booming.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

Post Office, a Coco’s restaurant and a Valvoline auto repair shop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026

Among gainers, Japanese auto maker Toyota rallied after it boosted its earnings projection for the year, lifted by cost-cuts and a weaker yen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

At the group’s auto segment, earnings before interest and taxes plunged 40% to 901 million euros as sales fell and its margin shrank to 3.4% from 5.2% a year before, it said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026

“Class of seventy-four. A lot of older alums moved away. Lambert lost a lot of jobs when I-26 was built to the north and then again when the textile plant and auto factory shut down.”

From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson

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

European stock indexes extended a post-midterms rally with banks and autos among the strongest-performing sectors, lifting the Stoxx 600 above the record close it posted in August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

European stock indexes largely gained at open as autos and healthcare stocks strengthened.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

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

This set of products includes chips and servers and has quickly become Mexico’s top export to the U.S., surpassing autos this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Go play with the autos and the flappers.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

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Related Words

• car
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