automate

American  

[aw-tuh-mayt] / ˈɔ təˌmeɪt /

verb (used with object)

• automates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• automated,
  past participle,  past
• automating
  present participle

1. to apply the principles of automation to (a mechanical process, industry, office, etc.).

2. to operate or control by automation.

3. to displace or make obsolete by automation (often followed byout ).

   The unskilled jobs are going to be automated out.

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verb (used without object)

• automates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• automated,
  past participle,  past
• automating
  present participle

1. to install automatic procedures, as for manufacturing or servicing; follow or utilize the principles of automation.

   Many banks have begun to automate.

automate British  

/ ˈɔːtəˌmeɪt /

verb

1. to make (a manufacturing process, factory, etc) automatic, or (of a manufacturing process, etc) to be made automatic

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• de-automate
  verb
• automatable
  adjective
• nonautomated
  adjective
• unautomated
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• automating
  present
• automated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• automate
  simple
• automates
  simple
• have automated
  perfect
• has automated
  perfect
• am automating
  progressive
• are automating
  progressive
• is automating
  progressive
• have been automating
  perfect progressive
• has been automating
  perfect progressive

Past

• automated
  simple
• had automated
  perfect
• was automating
  progressive
• were automating
  progressive
• had been automating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will automate
  simple
• will have automated
  perfect
• will be automating
  progressive
• will have been automating
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

automate automates automated automating

Walmart hasn’t figured out the best way to automate online orders assembled inside stores, not warehouses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Jejurikar told the New York Times that while the consumer-goods firm can further automate “a lot of my manufacturing lines,” it needs more workers “to generate the stuff” in brand building.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Bayne is an inventor, with patent-pending applications for artificial intelligence tools that automate legal workflows.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

AI is also helping to automate inventory tracking and improve order accuracy, executives said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

You can write script files to automate the online work further.

From The Online World by Odd De Presno

Real-time supply-chain data tracks shop inventory and automates reordering.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

"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

“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

One utility also reported unauthorized modifications to software that automates plant operations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 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

Passengers float around in automated chairs, surrounded by screens, food and entertainment.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

McDonald’s eventually ended that IBM pilot in 2024, after testing automated order-taking at more than 100 restaurants.

From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026

Anthropic discovered the incident on September 28, shut down the automated testing process responsible and added a new validation step for future tests, police said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

A few years ago, during the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday rush, workers in one of the new automated California grocery warehouses realized that its robotic arms fumbled large frozen turkeys.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

They couldn’t use the automated landing system because it wasn’t set up to handle a plane with that much weight.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

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

The company makes autonomous industrial robots aimed at automating repetitive manual tasks like stacking pallets and weighing raw materials.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Users can also create and orchestrate response workflows, automating the process and reducing response times.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026

Investors also fear that generative AI could disrupt the country's $315-billion IT services industry by automating tasks long outsourced to India, such as customer service and app maintenance.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Instantly I begin counting a beat in my head, automating my actions.

From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper

Related Words

• automatize
• mechanize