automation

noun

au·​to·​ma·​tion ˌȯ-tə-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the technique of making an apparatus, a process, or a system operate automatically

2

: the state of being operated automatically

3

: automatically controlled operation of an apparatus, process, or system by mechanical or electronic devices that take the place of human labor

Synonyms of automation

• mechanization

Examples of automation in a Sentence

feared that automation would add millions to the ranks of the unemployed

Recent Examples on the Web

This month, employees at marketing automation platform Omnisend who are considered outstanding AI users will be awarded a 2% to 4% raise. —Jacqueline Munis, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2026

Aside from workforce automation and intelligent support (think of an AI agent working on its own to find solutions to a retailer’s problems), agentic AI can also be used as personal shoppers. —Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 13 Apr. 2026

So even when the rules come from Washington, who keeps their coverage may still depend heavily on how much paperwork, automation and hands-on help each state builds into the process. —Aparna Soni, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026

The union, in a series of demands made to FIFA and the Kroenkes this week, is also sounding the alarm about the use of subcontractors operating at SoFi Stadium, while also demanding that FIFA does not permit any artificial intelligence or automation at the arena, which may eliminate union jobs. —Adam Crafton, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

perhaps blend of automatic entry 1 and operation

Note: The coinage of this word has been attributed to the Ford Motor Company executive Delmar S. Harder (1892-1973), who in the period 1947-48 was a vice president of manufacturing. In the third volume of a history of Ford by Allan Nevins and Frank Ernest Hill (Ford: Decline and Rebirth, 1933-1962 [New York, 1963], p. 354), the following account is given: "At a staff meeting in 1947 Harder suggested a new department to study the efficient handling of materials …Harder groped for a name; 'the Automated Handling Department,' he suggested, then, 'better still, the Automation Department.' This seems to have been the first significant appearance of the word. Later, Harder dated its use back to 1936, when he was at Grand Rapids with General Motors. By the diligent efforts of Ford publicity men, and his own impressive accomplishments, Harder came to be known as 'the father of automation.' John Diebold of the Harvard Business School also claims to have invented the word 'automation,' but seems to have done so, according to the Ford version, a few days later than Harder's use in 1947." Unfortunately, Nevins and Hill give no exact source for this story, though, according to a later endnote, Harder was interviewed by them on November 12, 1959. An early printed instance of automation is in an article in the trade journal American Machinist ("Ford Handles by Automation," by Rupert Le Grand, vol. 92, no. 22 [October 21, 1948], pp. 107-22). It is not certain that John Diebold, an early writer on automation, ever claimed to have coined the word; at any rate, in 1947, when the Automation Department was formed at Ford, Diebold, who was born in 1926, was an undergraduate at Swarthmore and unlikely to have been in a position to introduce the word. See also the note at automate.

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for automation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

automation

noun

au·​to·​ma·​tion ˌȯt-ə-ˈmā-shən 

1

: the method of making a device, a process, or a system operate by itself

2

: automatic operation of a device, process, or system by mechanical or electronic devices that replace human operators