automate

[aw-tuh-meyt]

See more synonyms for automate on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), au·to·mat·ed, au·to·mat·ing.

to apply the principles of automation to (a mechanical process, industry, office, etc.).
to operate or control by automation.
to displace or make obsolete by automation (often followed by out): The unskilled jobs are going to be automated out.

verb (used without object), au·to·mat·ed, au·to·mat·ing.

to install automatic procedures, as for manufacturing or servicing; follow or utilize the principles of automation: Many banks have begun to automate.

Origin of automate

First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from automation

Related formsau·to·mat·a·ble, adjectivede-au·to·mate, verb, de-au·to·mat·ed, de-au·to·mat·ing.non·au·to·mat·ed, adjectiveun·au·to·mat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for automated

electronic, mechanical, computerized, automatic, electrical, robotic, mechanized, motorized, programmed

Examples from the Web for automated

Contemporary Examples of automated

Because GRBs are so rare, the best way to look for them is with an automated observatory.
The Gamma-Ray Burst That Wasn’t
Matthew R. Francis
June 1, 2014
After all, the automated database is only as good as the information the judges feed into it.
Law-Breaking Judges Took Cases That Could Make Them Even Richer
Reity O’Brien, Kytja Weir, Chris Young, Center for Public Integrity
April 28, 2014
I emailed yodel to explain an got a automated reply saying my parcel has been delivered and signed for?
Penis Beakers and Constipated Dolls: What Mothers REALLY Want To Know
Tom Sykes
October 11, 2013
Most definitely not the robots who brought us the automated joy on Twitter.
Horse_ebooks Is Dead
Brian Ries
September 24, 2013
You may write to the VA, but you will either receive no reply or an automated response.
The Military Teaches Soldiers Strength; the VA Teaches Veterans to Beg
Chris Miller
August 30, 2013

Historical Examples of automated

A shudder went through him as he edged along the automated customs scanners and paper-checkers.
The Dueling Machine
Benjamin William Bova
The automated files selected three microcard dossiers that matched the requirements of the order.
The Dueling Machine
Benjamin William Bova
Listen, sir, that's just one more field that's been automated right out of existence.
Mercenary
Dallas McCord Reynolds
We have others who could design an automated textile factory, but do any know how to weave a blanket on a hand loom?
Adaptation
Dallas McCord Reynolds
There is no direct correspondence between the literacy of emergent writing and that of automated writing and reading.
The Civilization of Illiteracy
Mihai Nadin

British Dictionary definitions for automated

automate

verb

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for automated

adj.

1952, American English, adjective based on automation.

automate

"to convert to automatic operation," 1954, back-formation from automated (q.v.). Ancient Greek verb automatizein meant "to act of oneself, to act unadvisedly." Related: Automating.