auto
noun
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auto
1 American
[aw-toh]
/ ˈɔ toʊ /
noun
-
autos
plural
adjective
auto-
2
American
auto-
3
American
auto-
4
American
auto.
5
American
abbreviation
-
automatic.
-
automobile.
-
automotive.
auto
1
British
/ ˈɔːtəʊ /
noun
-
-
short for automobile
-
( as modifier )
auto parts
-
-
informal short for autorickshaw
auto-
2
British
combining form
-
self; same; of or by the same one
autobiography
-
acting from or occurring within; self-caused
autohypnosis
-
self-propelling; automatic
automobile
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of auto1
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; by shortening
Origin of auto-2
< Greek, combining form of autós self
Origin of auto-3
see origin at auto
Explanation
An auto is a car. If you drive your auto too fast, you might get a speeding ticket. The word auto is an informal, shortened form of automobile. You're most likely to hear the word auto when someone's talking about insurance, auto parts, or the auto industry. Automobile was originally a French word, formed from the Greek autos, or "self," and the French mobile, "moving."
Vocabulary lists containing auto
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.
See Examples For:
Watch The Wall Street Journal’s Dan Neil judge a ‘lemon’ auto show where strange, unloved and personal cars compete for the coveted ‘Worst in Show.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
"It's going to just be amazing. The sights, the sounds, the smells. It's all going to be just wonderful," said Neva Hoover, 58, from Ohio, who owns of an auto body repair shop.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
Toyota Motor is quickly closing the sales gap with General Motors, threatening to end the American auto giant’s nearly 100-year reign atop the U.S. auto market, the Journal’s Sharon Terlep writes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Households will likely face higher rates for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards as a result of the current situation, with those on lower incomes hit hardest, El-Erian says.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Soon after that, he took me to an auto show, where I picked out a car in this really pretty turquoise blue.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
An auto- inflammatory disease is defined by chronic inflammation, unprovoked by an infection, when antibody concentrations are not high.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
So you used to be able to post to WordPress and we would auto- post to Tumblr, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook etc., and they turned off those API is after Cambridge Analytica.
From The Verge ● Aug. 14, 2019
“Yet while auto- and steelworkers generally shared some of the gains of their industries, the growers rarely got their piece of the pie,” Simon writes.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 1, 2017
Debating the question “is the iCar real?” has become a favorite barroom distraction for auto- and tech journos alike.
From Time ● Apr. 18, 2016
Again, it is said that when the thyroid gland has degenerated there ensues a condition of auto- intoxication, followed by a degeneration of other organs which destroy and eliminate poisons in the blood.
From Vitality Supreme by Bernarr Macfadden
They are in addition to existing tariffs the US had already imposed on Canadian steel and aluminium, autos and lumber.
From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026
The two sides have been at an impasse on several issues, including US tariffs on autos and many Canadian provinces banning American liquor sales.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
This is the second biggest category of retail spending after autos, so it carries a lot of weight.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Toyota Motor plans to expand its U.S. production capacity to help defray a 15% tariff on Japanese autos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
He heard the sound of autos coming into the driveway.
From "Native Son" by Richard Wright
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.
