automobile
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
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.
In Mexico, Chinese investment in industries such as the automobile sector generated more than 100,000 jobs from 2020 to 2023, according to one analysis.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
China’s electric-vehicle industry also moved from subsidy-dependent experiment to global competitive threat faster than many foreign automobile makers expected.
From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026
Born Clarence Johnson in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula in 1910, Johnson studied aeronautics at the University of Michigan and spent time in wind tunnels learning about locomotive and automobile design.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026
The increase marks the first hike in automobile fuel prices in India since the war broke out in February, prompting Iran's near-total blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
Thiel had lived in America for fourteen years and worked as a toolmaker for automobile factories.
From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple
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.
