automate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to apply the principles of automation to (a mechanical process, industry, office, etc.).
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to operate or control by automation.
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to displace or make obsolete by automation (often followed byout ).
The unskilled jobs are going to be automated out.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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automatesimple
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automatessimple
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have automatedperfect
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has automatedperfect
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am automatingprogressive
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are automatingprogressive
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is automatingprogressive
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have been automatingperfect progressive
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has been automatingperfect progressive
Past
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automatedsimple
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had automatedperfect
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was automatingprogressive
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were automatingprogressive
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had been automatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of automate
First recorded in 1950–55; back formation from automation
Explanation
When you design a machine to complete a process once done by a human, you automate the process. Standardized tests once had to be graded by hand, now they're automated, i.e. done by computers. If you automate a factory, workers might lose jobs to robots and machines. A century ago, if you did laundry, you had to turn the clothes in the drum by hand. It was really hard work, so hard that in many families one day was set aside as laundry day and everyone had to help. In 1937, the first electric, or automated, washer was sold, with a motor that turned the drum. Since then, the job has become much easier, though most of us still find it a chore.
Vocabulary lists containing automate
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Do it Yourself: Words Beginning with "AUTO"
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Roots: 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.
See Examples For:
One area he’s pursuing is using AI to automate inventory forecasting and replenishment, helping managers figure out what they need to order and potentially even placing the orders for them.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Going forward, you could automate contributions to your emergency fund indefinitely, so the reserve is always growing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
Chinese AI companies have been raising billions of dollars to compete with global players such as OpenAI, Anthropic and Google as businesses race to leverage generative AI to automate tasks and boost productivity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
It says this will be delivered through plans, among other things, to automate 20% of the MoD's human resources and finance departments by 2028 and by cutting spending on consultants.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
Others automate the process using automatic communications scripts.
From The Online World by De Presno, Odd
Or, use a smart thermostat: A programmable or smart thermostat automates the heavy lifting, raising temperatures when you’re at work and dropping them right before you walk through the door.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 29, 2026
"This self-regulating behavior helps keep fuel production more stable throughout the day and automates the system, while reducing dependence on batteries and costly external components," he added.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026
Radclyffe's firm developed technology that automates office tasks and administrative work such as form filling, with the work completed far more quickly - and cheaply - than by humans.
From BBC ● May 4, 2026
The platform orchestrates and automates customers’ decision-making through AI.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
You get on these by sending a message to a specific e- mail address, which is often that of a computer that automates the process.
From Big Dummy's Guide to the Internet by Electronic Frontier Foundation
It pointed to "errors in the automated approval process" for its chat groups, which "incorrectly rejected" some numbers registered in Indonesia.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Weaker areas are application and vertical software owing to worries about fallout from automated AI workflows.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
OpenAI created a program to give vetted organizations and researchers access to models with fewer automated safety refusals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Citing the reduced risk, Anthropic said its automated safety filters will intervene roughly 85 percent less often on Opus 5 than on Fable 5, the Mythos-class model it released last month.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
I guess my mom got some automated message on her cell phone later, though, because she calls Frank’s TracFone from the restaurant and asks him to put me on the line.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
Aside from automating tasks, advisers might apply AI to predict market behavior or evaluate investment strategies.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
The companies also are betting that “AI agents” will be able to proactively tackle more in the future, automating repetitive tasks in customer service, online shopping and other industries.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
DeepSeek is beefing up teams focused on developing agentic AI tools-software capable of automating complex work-that could open up future revenue streams, some of the people said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
The researchers now plan to expand the method by analyzing additional target structures and automating more of the process.
From Science Daily ● May 18, 2026
Instantly I begin counting a beat in my head, automating my actions.
From "What the Night Sings" by Vesper Stamper
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.
