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

The 1970 Clean Air Act allows the federal Environmental Protection Agency to limit air pollution from automobiles. —Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2024

Moore said that tens of thousands of people have jobs that in some way depend on the Port of Baltimore, the top port in the nation for automobile shipments. —Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 30 Mar. 2024

That effort took on greater urgency this month as the Biden administration announced new automobile emissions standards that officials called the most ambitious plan ever to cut planet-warming pollution from passenger vehicles. —Alexa St. John, Matthew Daly and Joshua A. Bickel, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2024

The traveling exhibition filled venues across the U.S. with the manufacturer’s entire brand portfolio at the time, from kitchen appliances to its automobile lineup. —Peter Nelson, Robb Report, 26 Mar. 2024

His presence at the event comes at a time when profound changes are underway in the automobile industry and across the Motor City. —Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, 24 Mar. 2024

Plastic razor blades sold by Lee Valley are soft enough to use on nonstick surfaces and automobile paints and would be less likely to dig into composite decking than a metal scraper would be. —Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024

Plummeting prices are expected to accelerate the transformation of the automobile market. —Lisa M. Krieger, The Mercury News, 21 Mar. 2024

That’s because the automobile service spots have reader boards pretty much saying so. —The Indianapolis Star, 20 Mar. 2024

Adjective

That included state income taxes ($130.7 million, or 15.1%, above estimates), non-automobile sales taxes ($80.7 million, or 8.5%, above estimates), auto sales taxes ($10.1 million, or 7.8%, above estimates) and commercial activity taxes ($2.4 million, or 23.1%, above estimates). —Andrew J. Tobias, cleveland, 10 Jan. 2022

Bad news for the anti-automobile Ham & Eggers. —Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2020

Pre-19th-century houses tend to be built right up against busy main roads (for ease of access in pre-automobile times). —Jenny Xie, Curbed, 28 Jan. 2022

The Transportation Committee, chaired by Kerry McCormack, has expanded its purview to examine regional transportation policies, and focus more on non-automobile forms of transportation, like rail, bicycles, e-bikes, and scooters. —Courtney Astolfi, cleveland, 4 Jan. 2022

America should learn from their pro-cycling, anti-automobile ways, not drag them down to our level! —Jessica Goldstein, Vulture, 23 Dec. 2021

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