auto
Syllables: au·to/ˈɔ.toʊ̯//ˈɔːtəʊ/
auto is the clipping of automatic.
auto is the clipping of automobile.
Noun (1)
auto (countable and uncountable, plural autos)
- A setting for automatic operation.
- Put it on auto.
- An automatic gearbox/transmission.
- A body-coloured centre pillar signalled the arrival of an electronic four-speed auto, slight suspension revisions and minor trim changes.
- A car with an automatic gearbox/transmission.
- It wasn't too bad but we did hire an auto (couldn't imagine changing gears with my right hand).
Meaning of automatic
Adjective
automatic (comparative more automatic, superlative most automatic)
- Capable of operating without external control or intervention.
- The automatic clothes washer was a great labor-saving device.
- Synonyms:
- self-operating
- Antonyms:
- manual, non-automatic
- Done out of habit or without conscious thought.
- The reaction was automatic: flight!
- Synonyms:
- instinctive, perfunctory, thoughtless, Pavlovian
- Antonyms:
- voluntary
- Necessary, inevitable, prescribed by logic, law, etc.
- Spitting at another player means an automatic red card.
- Firing continuously as long as the trigger is pressed until ammunition is exhausted.
- Fully automatic weapons cannot be legally owned by private citizens in the US, except in very special circumstances, as by private security companies.
- An autoloader; a semi-automatic or self-loading pistol, as opposed to a revolver or other manually actuated handgun, which fires one shot per pull of the trigger; distinct from machine guns.
- The US Army adopted John Browning's M1911 pistol as its sidearm, chambered in .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol).
- Automatically added to and removed from the stack during the course of function calls.
- Automatic variables are created on the stack. They are valid only from the point where they are declared to the end of the function.2012, Robert Clair, Learning Objective-C 2.0: A Hands-on Guide
Meaning of automobile
Noun
automobile (plural automobiles)
- A type of motor vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional passengers, and a very limited amount of other load.
- Meronym: see list of auto parts
- Synonyms:
- auto, cage, cah, car, devil wagon, horseless carriage, motor car, wheels, whip
Verb
auto (third-person singular simple present autos, present participle autoing, simple past and past participle autoed)
- To travel by automobile.
- The food was excellent and well served, and it recalled the Norman cities he had autoed to.1907, Automotive Industries, volume 16, page 711
- Christmas Day we decided to spend in snow, in order to feel more at home, and so we autoed up 5000 ft. to Peira Cava and reveled in the winter sports, autoing back to the roses and “summer time” at nightfall.1924, The Smith Alumnae Quarterly, volumes 16-17, page 318
Noun (2)
auto (plural autos)
- An autorickshaw.
- Users are often unable to note down the number of the taxi or the auto as the driver will just zoom past.
Noun (3)
auto (plural autos)
- A genre of dramatic literature.
Proper noun capitalized: Auto
Auto
Synonyms of auto
Antonyms
Forms of auto
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | autos |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | autos |
| present participle | autoing |
| past participle | autoed |
| past | autoed |
Origin of auto
Clipping of automatic.
Clipping of automobile.
Clipping of autorickshaw.
Words formed from auto
- autobesity
- auto body
- autocade
- autocamp
- autocide
- autocoach
- auto court
- autocrash
- autocrime
- autoette
- autogas
- auto insurance
- autoist
- autoless
- auto loan
- automaker
- automaking
- automan
- automania
- automaniac
- auto mechanic
- auto park
- auto part
- autophobia
- autopia
- auto poker
- auto polo
- auto racing
- autorack
- auto rickshaw
- auto safety seat
- auto sear
- auto shop
- auto show
- autospeak
- autotransporter
- auto transport truck
- autoworker
- full auto
- full-auto
- grand theft auto
- nonauto
Phrases with auto
Questions about auto
- What does auto mean?
- Auto means a setting for automatic operation.
- What is auto the clipping of?
- Auto is the clipping of automatic.
- What part of speech is auto?
- Auto can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce auto?
- Auto is pronounced /ˈɔːtəʊ/ (UK).
- What is the plural of auto?
- The plural of auto is autos.
Words near auto in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: auto (page history and authors); Auto (page history and authors); automatic (page history and authors); automobile (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-auto.wav, en-us-otto.ogg.
Cite this entry: “auto.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/auto. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.