automate

verb

au·​to·​mate ˈȯ-tə-ˌmāt 

automated; automating

transitive verb

1

: to operate by automation

2

: to convert to largely automatic operation

automate a process

intransitive verb

: to undergo automation

automatable

ˈȯ-tə-ˌmā-tə-bəl 

adjective

Examples of automate in a Sentence

The company recently automated its filing process.

a factory that has yet to be automated

a factory that has yet to automate

When companies automate, employees lose jobs.

Recent Examples on the Web

For example, if customer support is a bottleneck, LLMs can automate common inquiries, freeing up human agents to handle complex issues. —Abhishek Shivanna, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

However, the company’s tool for automating voter registration challenges, a similar process, is well documented. —Caroline Haskins, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024

But, while several companies including White Castle, Sweetgreen and Chipotle are currently testing out ways to automate food prep, circuits and software haven't yet taken over. —Queenie Wong Los Angeles Times (tns), arkansasonline.com, 4 Nov. 2024

These are some of the key areas where AI is making a difference: Intelligent Lead Generation AI solutions are changing the process by automating and refining lead qualification. —Andrei Kasyanau, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

back-formation from automation

Note: The formation of automation from automatic entry 1 (or automaton) is idiosyncratic. The -at- of automatic is blended with the suffix -ation, resulting in a word that is no longer divisible into base and suffix. The element -at- mimics, as it were, the -at- of -ate entry 4 and -ation, though in origin it has no relation to it. Another approach to this curious derivation might be to take it as a blend of automatic and operation, though there is no evidence that the coiner had this in mind. A more regular way to derive a verb from automatic would be automatize, and in fact such a word is attested (see automatize, but with a different sense), along with a corresponding noun automatization. In a discussion on automation with the editors of the Atlantic Monthly the mathematician Norbert wiener was said to take "a firm stand on nomenclature": "'Automation,' he says, is barbarous; let it be 'automatization' or nothing" ("Science and Industry," Atlantic Monthly, vol. 195, no. 6 [June, 1955], p. 14). See also the note at automation.

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

automate

verb

au·​to·​mate ˈȯt-ə-ˌmāt 

automated; automating

1

: to operate by automation

2

: to convert to mainly automatic operation