automobile

1 of 2

noun

au·​to·​mo·​bile ˌȯ-tə-mō-ˈbēl 

ˈȯ-tə-mō-ˌbēl,

ˌȯ-tə-ˈmō-ˌbēl 

: a usually four-wheeled automotive vehicle designed for passenger transportation

automobile intransitive verb

automobilist

ˌȯ-tə-mō-ˈbē-list  ˌȯ-tə-ˈmō-ˌbē-list 

noun

automobile

2 of 2

adjective

: automotive

Synonyms

Noun

• auto
• bus
• car
• horseless carriage
• machine
• motor
• motor vehicle
• motorcar
• wheels [slang]

Examples of automobile in a Sentence

Noun

He drives an expensive automobile.

browsed online for used automobiles for sale

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Some Democrats, including Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, have been urging the Biden administration to take more drastic measures to protect the U.S. automobile industry. —Jim Tankersley, New York Times, 10 May 2024

Among them is the most important industry in the EU’s largest economy: Germany’s automobile sector. —Ned Temko, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

derivative of automobile entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from French, "self-propelled," from auto- auto- + mobile mobile entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1881, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1876, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

automobile

1 of 2 adjective

au·​to·​mo·​bile ˈȯt-ə-mō-ˌbēl  ˌȯt-ə-mō-ˈbē(ə)l 

ˌȯt-ə-ˈmō-ˌbēl

: of or relating to automobiles

automobile

2 of 2 noun

: a usually four-wheeled vehicle with its own power system (as an internal combustion engine) designed for passenger transportation

automobile verb

automobilist

-mō-ˈbē-ləst 

noun