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Showing results for automobile. Search instead for kit automobiles.
Synonyms

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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • automobilist noun

Etymology

Origin of automobile

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

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.

Previous oil-price surges have sent automobile markets into tailspins: Sales dropped 44.7 percent the year after the 1973 oil shock and more than 40 percent after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

From Barron's • Apr. 1, 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

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

That includes a 14.5% slump in return trips from the U.S. to 1.5 million, including a near 13% drop in visits by automobile and almost 18% decline in air travel.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 10, 2026

He walked toward the front of the automobile.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

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.