autos

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of auto.

   Dozens of autos lined the showroom floor before the sale.

   The dealership moved hundreds of autos last quarter.

   Note

   The singular is a clipping of automobile, so it takes the regular -s plural like any other count noun. Which autos are meant depends on context: cars in general, automatic transmissions or the cars fitted with them, or, in India, autorickshaws. The automatic-setting meaning has no plural, because a dial is switched to auto, never to autos.

2. 2
   verbdated

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of auto. The verb is dated.

   The salesman autos across three counties to meet his clients.

   Whenever she visits her family upstate, she autos rather than takes the train.

   Note

   It has the same spelling as the plural noun, but this form belongs to a dated verb meaning to travel by car. The verb is intransitive. Someone autos to town or across the county, but never autos a car or a passenger anywhere. Because the verb is dated, it now gives a sentence a period flavor. In neutral modern prose, drives does the same work.

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