automatic transmission
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of automatic transmission
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
This car’s propulsion system—including a nine-speed automatic transmission and fully variable all-wheel drive—is so heavily damped and isolated it might as well be in another car.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 2, 2026
If the test is taken in an automatic car, the driver would get a Category B Auto licence, restricting them to driving to vehicles with automatic transmission only.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2025
In the U.S., car crash rates and pedestrian fatalities have recently erupted; potential culprits include “car bloat,” smartphones, COVID-related anomie, and the automatic transmission, which frees up motorists’ hands to, say, use TikTok.
From Slate ● May 25, 2024
That potent engine is unfortunately only paired with an automatic transmission.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 6, 2023
It had automatic transmission and an oversized generator to give me lights inside the cabin if I should need them.
From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck
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.
