automobile
Americannoun
-
automobiles
plural
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of automobile
1865–70; < French: literally, self-movable (vehicle). See auto- 1, mobile
Explanation
An automobile is a car: a vehicle with four wheels and an internal combustion engine. The automobile is one of the most common ways to travel. Thanks in part to Henry Ford, automobiles are just about everywhere: in cities, small towns, and even in rural areas, where it's too far to walk from place to place and there's very little public transportation. Trucks, vans, buses, and limousines are bigger than the typical automobile, but they’re automobiles, too. A motorcycle isn't an automobile because it only has two wheels. Automobiles are good for getting around, but they also cause pollution and automobile accidents.
Vocabulary lists containing automobile
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
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Frankenwords: Words with Roots from Different Languages
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: auto-
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The White House had alleged "discriminatory treatment" by Canada against US alcohol, automobile and dairy products in rolling out the 50-percent tariffs.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The U.S. is considering a plan to lower tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum from 50% to 25%, while top-line automobile levies could fall from 25% to 15%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Canada has been in pursuit of a deal that would see the US drop or reduce tariffs on its steel, aluminium, automobile and lumber sectors, all of which have been damaging to the country's economy.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
That route has had many historic incarnations, but in the early automobile age, before the I-5, there were two successive ones, each called the Ridge Route.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Wagons rumbling by on the paving stones, automobile horns bleating like sheep.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Constrain magnesium and you constrain aircraft, missiles, ships, satellites, automobiles and American beer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
If the deal had gone into effect, U.S. tariffs on Canadian-built automobiles had been expected to drop to 15% from 25% — in what would have been a win for Detroit’s Big Three.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026
In addition, U.S. tariffs on Canadian-built automobiles are due to decrease to 15% from 25%, according to multiple published reports.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Details leaked to several media outlets suggest the US will agree to reduce tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium from 50% to 25%, and tariffs on Canadian automobiles from 25% to 15%.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Computers have replaced automobiles for a certain tribe of working-class American tinker- ers who can never stop tweaking their machines and are constantly scrounging for new or used parts.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
