DictionaryAI

auto

SayAW-toh/ˈɔtoʊ/UK/ˈɔːtəʊ/

Pluralautos

6 meanings of auto

Practice

  1. 1
    carnounAustraliaCanadaNew ZealandPhilippinesUScountable or uncountablebefore a nounabbreviationclipping
    Clipping of automobile: a car or similar passenger motor vehicle.

    The mechanic said the auto needed a new battery.

    Streetcars vanished as the auto became affordable for ordinary families.

    UsageMostly before another noun: auto parts, the auto industry. On its own, car is the everyday word.

    Note

    Today the clipping does most of its work in front of another noun: auto mechanic, auto parts, the auto industry, the Big Three auto manufacturers. On its own, an auto has a period flavor, like the car a farmer bought in 1909.

  2. 2
    device settingnoununcountable
    A setting that places a device into automatic operation.

    She switched the thermostat to auto before leaving for work.

    On auto, the system adjusts the fan speed without any input from the operator.

    UsageUsually on auto or set to auto.

    Similarautomatic

    Oppositemanual

  3. 3
    three-wheel taxinounIndiacountable
    A small three-wheeled motorized vehicle hired as a taxi, common across South Asian cities.

    She hailed an auto outside the market and haggled over the fare.

    Three autos lined up near the temple gate waiting for passengers.

    UsagePeople take or hail an auto. Elsewhere, autorickshaw is clearer.

    Similarrickshaw, tuk-tuk

    Note

    This is a separate word that took its own route into English. It is a clipping of autorickshaw, itself made from auto- and rickshaw. In Indian English it sits beside taxi as an everyday hired ride (the taxi or the auto) and needs no fuller name.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

    • The taxi sense has a distinct immediate derivation: it clips autorickshaw. en.wiktionary.org

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    nouncountable or uncountable
    An automatic transmission, or a car fitted with one rather than a manual gearbox.

    Mechanics warned that the auto would need a fluid change every sixty thousand miles.

    The auto downshifts on its own when the car climbs a steep hill.

    Similarautomatic

    Oppositemanual

    Note

    Gearbox talk often names the unit by its ratios and controls. An electronic four-speed auto is one particular transmission, and its counterpart is a manual. The same noun can also mean a car fitted with one, so context decides which is meant. Fluid changes and downshifts belong to the gearbox, while hiring and driving belong to the car.

  2. 5
    adjectiveabbreviationclipping
    Clipping of automatic, describing a gearbox or transmission that shifts without driver input.

    The dealership stocks mostly auto models these days.

    He chose an auto version to avoid using a clutch.

  3. 6
    verbdatedintransitive
    To travel from one place to another by automobile.
    The food was excellent and well served, and it recalled the Norman cities he had autoed to.
    1907, Automotive Industries
    Christmas Day we decided to spend in snow, in order to feel more at home, and so we autoed up 5000 ft. to Peira Cava and reveled in the winter sports, autoing back to the roses and “summer time” at nightfall.
    1924, The Smith Alumnae Quarterly, volumes 16-17

    Similardrive, motor

    Note

    This verb belongs to the early motoring years, and its regular forms autoed and autoing appear in magazines of 1907 and 1925. It is intransitive, so it takes a direction or destination rather than an object: autoed up to Peira Cava, autoing back at nightfall, the Norman cities he had autoed to.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Autoed and autoing are the regular past and participial forms. en.wiktionary.org
    • The travel verb is intransitive and can take directional or destination phrases. en.wiktionary.org
    • The Peira Cava and nightfall examples reflect the magazine passage. archive.org
    • The Norman cities example occurs in the cited source. en.wiktionary.org

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of auto apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–2, 4–6

Shortened from automobile or automatic, depending on the sense; both go back to Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, 'self'), the source of the 'auto-' element in words such as autopilot.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

Meaning 3

A clipping of autorickshaw, formed from auto- and rickshaw.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

  • Auto is a clipping of autorickshaw. en.wiktionary.org
  • The English word autorickshaw is formed from auto- and rickshaw; the entry does not derive it from Hindi. en.wiktionary.org