automatic

adjective

au·to·mat·ic | \ ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-tik

Definition of automatic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : largely or wholly involuntary especially : reflex sense 5 automatic blinking of the eyelids

b : acting or done spontaneously or unconsciously the automatic applause of the audience

c : done or produced as if by machine : mechanical the answers were automatic

2 : having a self-acting or self-regulating mechanism an automatic transmission

3 of a firearm : firing repeatedly until the trigger is released

automatic

noun

Definition of automatic (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a machine or apparatus that operates automatically especially : an automatic firearm

2a : an automatic transmission a car with a three-speed automatic

b : an automobile with an automatic transmission Is your car an automatic or a manual?

3 American football : audible

Other Words from automatic Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about automatic

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Other Words from automatic

Adjective

automatically \ -ti-k(ə-)lē

\ adverb

automaticity \ -mə-ˈti-sə-tē

, -ma- \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for automatic

Adjective

spontaneous, impulsive, instinctive, automatic, mechanical mean acting or activated without deliberation. spontaneous implies lack of prompting and connotes naturalness. a spontaneous burst of applause impulsive implies acting under stress of emotion or spirit of the moment. impulsive acts of violence instinctive stresses action involving neither judgment nor will. blinking is an instinctive reaction automatic implies action engaging neither the mind nor the emotions and connotes a predictable response. his denial was automatic mechanical stresses the lifeless, often perfunctory character of the response. a mechanical teaching method

Examples of automatic in a Sentence

Adjective

Without thinking, he gave an automatic reply. She always has an automatic smile for everyone.

Noun

Will your next car be a manual or an automatic?

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

The actions included disabling automatic identification systems to hide their movements at sea. — Kristin Broughton, WSJ, "Treasury Department Accuses North Korea of Evading U.S. Sanctions," 21 Mar. 2019 The rebel force had only about 60 fighters, nine automatic rifles and 26 single-shot rifles and pistols when it was established in 1969, and gradually grew and expanded across the impoverished nation. — Jim Gomez, The Seattle Times, "Philippine communist rebels mark 50th year with new attacks," 29 Mar. 2019 Hangouts Meet now has automatic live captioning, though just in English. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "5 Google G Suite changes that will improve your life," 11 Apr. 2019 There is no automatic process for royal clothes to make their way into the collection, and it is run by charity Historic Royal Palaces, not the royal family or its household. — Victoria Murphy, Town & Country, "Inside the Archive That Houses 500 Years of Royal Family Fashion," 17 Feb. 2019 Or, plug your measurements into an automatic mulch calculator. — Arricca Sansone, Country Living, "How Much Mulch Do I Need? Here's the Easiest Way to Find Out," 6 Feb. 2019 Democrats say this won’t result in voter fraud, but automatic registration will inevitably register thousands who aren’t eligible or produce duplicate registrations based on faulty government data. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Majority Preservation Act," 7 Jan. 2019 Federal investigators determined the fatal crash could have been avoided had the vehicle’s automatic emergency brakes been enabled. — Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, "The Verge 2018 tech report card: Uber," 29 Dec. 2018 If Stoke want a serious push for automatic promotion in their first season in the Championship, then Ritchie would be a very smart signing indeed. — SI.com, "Newcastle's Matt Ritchie Open to Stoke City Move on One Condition," 8 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Gun stores in New Zealand sold out of semi-automatics as gun enthusiasts panic-bought in the wake of a ban. — Zac Fleming, Harper's BAZAAR, "New Zealand Banned Guns After Thoughts and Prayers. Why Can’t America?," 23 Mar. 2019 The gunman still may have carried out the shooting without bump stocks, but the devices made the shooting much deadlier by turning his semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Trump administration just banned bump stocks for guns," 18 Dec. 2018 The gunman still may have carried out the shooting without bump stocks, but the devices made the shooting much deadlier by turning his semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Trump administration just banned bump stocks for guns," 18 Dec. 2018 The gunman still may have carried out the shooting without bump stocks, but the devices made the shooting much deadlier by turning his semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Trump administration just banned bump stocks for guns," 18 Dec. 2018 The gunman still may have carried out the shooting without bump stocks, but the devices made the shooting much deadlier by turning his semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Trump administration just banned bump stocks for guns," 18 Dec. 2018 The gunman still may have carried out the shooting without bump stocks, but the devices made the shooting much deadlier by turning his semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Trump administration just banned bump stocks for guns," 18 Dec. 2018 The gunman still may have carried out the shooting without bump stocks, but the devices made the shooting much deadlier by turning his semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Trump administration just banned bump stocks for guns," 18 Dec. 2018 The gunman still may have carried out the shooting without bump stocks, but the devices made the shooting much deadlier by turning his semiautomatic weapons into guns that closely simulated automatics. — German Lopez, Vox, "The Trump administration just banned bump stocks for guns," 18 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'automatic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near automatic

automated

automated teller

automated teller machine

automatic

automatic block signal

automatic coverage

automatic currency

Statistics for automatic

Last Updated

18 May 2019

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for automatic

The first known use of automatic was in 1686

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More Definitions for automatic

automatic

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of automatic

(Entry 1 of 2)

of a machine or device : having controls that allow something to work or happen without being directly controlled by a person

of a gun : shooting many bullets very quickly when the trigger is pulled

: happening or done without deliberate thought or effort

automatic

noun

English Language Learners Definition of automatic (Entry 2 of 2)

: a gun that shoots many bullets very quickly : an automatic weapon

: a vehicle that changes gears by itself at different speeds : a car with automatic transmission

See the full definition for automatic in the English Language Learners Dictionary

automatic

adjective

au·to·mat·ic | \ ˌȯ-tə-ˈma-tik

Kids Definition of automatic

1 : involuntary automatic blinking of eyelids

2 : being a machine or device that allows something to work without being directly controlled by a person an automatic washer

automatic

adjective

au·to·mat·ic

Legal Definition of automatic

: happening or existing through the operation of a preexisting arrangement that is triggered by some event specifically : happening or existing through the operation of law automatic reversal an automatic appeal