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

That may have been the beginning of automobile finance. —David Krumboltz, The Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2024

Any business selling consumer goods, as well as the automobile sector and housing construction industry, are likely to feel some pressure related to fiscal policy uncertainty. —Georgia Godfrey, Forbes, 4 Nov. 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

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