auto

1 of 3

noun

au·​to ˈȯ-(ˌ)tō 

ˈä-

plural autos

: automobile

auto

2 of 3

adjective

: automatic

auto-

3 of 3

combining form

variants or before a vowel aut-

1

: self : same one

autobiography

autosuggestion

2

: automatic : self-acting

autopilot

Synonyms of auto

Noun

• car
• automobile
• bus
• machine

Examples of auto in a Sentence

Noun

the auto gave people a level of mobility that they had never known before

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In 2024, the Detroit auto giant alleged the startup’s branding and Bronco lookalikes crossed into false advertising. — Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 10 July 2026

Weighing 27 pounds with a sturdy roll-cage frame, onboard storage and an auto-shutoff pump to extend the life of the motor. — ABC News, 10 July 2026

Adjective

With a large 10-round magazine, strong muzzle break, and semi-auto action, shooters can take quick follow-up shots. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2025

He also is suspected of firing a gun in New Britain — again, no one was hurt — and three times fleeing police who were on a special anti-auto theft detail in Newington. — Christine Dempsey, courant.com, 11 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

by shortening

Adjective

by shortening

Combining form

borrowed from Greek, combining form of autós "self, the same" (also as third person pronoun), of uncertain origin

Note: For autós R. Beekes posits as the Indo-European forerunner *h₂eu̯- "again" + *to- "that" (see that entry 1); *h₂eu̯- alone is the source of Greek aû "again, another time, in turn, next" (Etymological Dictionary of Greek, Brill, 2009). G. E. Dunkel, who accepts Indo-European *a as a vowel and does not believe that all words must begin with a consonant, subsumes the first element of autós under *au̯- "away, off" (*au̯-tó- would hence originally have been a deictic, "the one over there") and subsumes Greek aû under *h₂u-, by-form of *h₂o- "with it, at it, and, also" (Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme, Heidelberg, 2014). Older etymological proposals (as a link between au- in autós and Sanskrit ásuḥ "life") are summarized by E. Schwyzer in Griechische Grammatik (Munich, 1990 [1938]), pp. 613-14.

First Known Use

Noun

1899, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1876, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing auto

• auto-complete
• auto-da-fé
• auto-injector
• auto-responder
• auto-response
• auto-suggest
• auto-suggestion
• auto-tune

Rhymes for auto

• dato
• motto
• erato
• vibrato
• yamato
• moderato
• pizzicato

Kids Definition

auto

1 of 2 noun

au·​to

ˈȯt-ō, 

ˈät-

plural autos

: automobile

auto-

2 of 2

see aut-