automotive
Americanadjective
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pertaining to the design, operation, manufacture, or sale of automobiles.
automotive parts.
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propelled by a self-contained motor, engine, or the like.
noun
adjective
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relating to motor vehicles
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self-propelling
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of automotive
Explanation
Anything automotive has to do with automobiles — in other words, cars. The automotive industry, for example, is all about making and selling cars. If the windshield wipers fall off your car, get new ones at an automotive store. The word automotive comes from the Greek auto for “self” and motive for “moving," which makes sense for what the word may have meant in the late 1800s — a self-propelled helicopter-like machine for one person. Don’t bother looking for one of those, though, automotive now just refers to car stuff. If you're interested in automotive technology, you might become a mechanic. Or maybe you could figure out how to make one of those little helicopters.
Vocabulary lists containing automotive
To Thine Own Self Be True: Auto
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: auto-
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"Modern Automotive Technology," Vocabulary from Section 1
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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.
Washington has consistently raised concerns over automotive rules of origin, dairy market access, and stopping third-party countries like China from exploiting the regional agreement.
From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026
He projects Tesla’s sales in China, the world’s largest market for automotive sales and rife with tough competition, to grow 3%.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 1, 2026
The European chip maker should benefit from demand for optical interconnects, equipment for low Earth-orbit satellites, and a recovery in the automotive and industrial end-markets, Scemama says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 26, 2026
Historically, BlackBerry’s QNX software has been used primarily by automotive systems, but the company has been looking to expand into industrial automation, robotics, and physical AI applications.
From Barron's • Jun. 25, 2026
“I’ll meet you behind the automotive garage like we planned. You sure they’re not home?”
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
