automobile

American  

[aw-tuh-muh-beel, aw-tuh-muh-beel, aw-tuh-moh-beel, -buhl] / ˌɔ tə məˈbil, ˈɔ tə məˌbil, ˌɔ təˈmoʊ bil, -bəl /

noun

1. a passenger vehicle designed for operation on ordinary roads and typically having four wheels and a gasoline or diesel internal-combustion engine.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to automobiles; automotive.

automobile British  

/ -ˈməʊbɪlɪst, ˌɔːtəməˈbiːlɪst, ˈɔːtəməˌbiːl /

noun

1. another word (esp US) for car

---

Other Word Forms

• automobilist noun

Etymology

Origin of automobile

1865–70; < French: literally, self-movable (vehicle). See auto- ¹, mobile

Example Sentences

“I daresay this is the first mishap between horse-drawn vehicle and automobile in rural Parke County in the twentieth century, or in fact human history.”

From Literature

The black Ford bucked and darted around the other automobiles until it was alongside the streetcar.

From Literature

She nods to where a neatly mustachioed man sits in the driver’s seat of an automobile on the street.

From Literature

I noticed that some of the drivers had a mat made from automobile tread hooked to the back of their sleds.

From Literature

She has traveled to Kyiv aiming to set up partnerships between enfeebled German automobile and machine makers—industries that currently shed 15,000 specialist jobs a month—and Ukrainian arms companies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• auto
• bus
• convertible
• limousine
• passenger car
• pickup truck
• sports car
• station wagon
• taxi
• transportation
• truck
• van