automobile
Americannoun
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
- automobilist noun
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.
The U.S. has faced the Industrial Revolution, the age of steam, steel and railways, the era of electrification and the automobile, the digital age and so on.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
“It is the opinion of the Ford Motor Company that automobile exhaust gases are dissipated in the atmosphere quickly and do not present an air pollution problem.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026
Despite his tariffs, Japan still maintains a large bilateral trade surplus, especially in the automobile sector.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
At one end, a small but growing cohort of educated and skilled women is entering salaried roles in IT, automobile manufacturing and business services.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
It was June and steamy as the inside of an automobile engine.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
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.
