definitions

automation

[ aw-tuh-mey-shuh n ]
/ ˌɔ təˈmeɪ ʃən /
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noun

the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum.
a mechanical device, operated electronically, that functions automatically, without continuous input from an operator.
act or process of automating.
the state of being automated.

RELATED WORDS

computerization, industrialization, mechanization

Nearby words

automatic transmission, automatic vending, automatic writing, automatic-teller machine, automatically, automation, automatism, automatize, automatograph, automaton, automechanism

Origin of automation

First recorded in 1945–50; autom(atic) + (oper)ation
Related formspro·au·to·ma·tion, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

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British Dictionary definitions for automation

automation

/ (ˌɔːtəˈmeɪʃən) /

noun

the use of methods for controlling industrial processes automatically, esp by electronically controlled systems, often reducing manpower
the extent to which a process is so controlled
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