auto

See also: Appendix:Variations of "auto"

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːtəʊ/, [ˈɔː.təʊ]

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɔtoʊ/, [ˈɔ.ɾoʊ]
  • (cot–caught merger) IPA^(key): /ˈɑtoʊ/, [ˈɑ.ɾoʊ]

    • Audio (Southern California):

      (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈoːtəʉ/, [ˈoː.təʉ], /ˈoːtɐʉ/, [ˈoː.tɐʉ]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈoːtɐʉ/, [ˈoː.tɐʉ]
• Rhymes: -ɔːtəʊ
• Hyphenation: au‧to
• Homophones: Otto, otto (cot–caught merger)

Etymology 1

From Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós, “self”), metanalyzed from auto- in words such as automatic, autopilot, and automobile.

Adjective

auto (not comparable)

1. (automotive) Clipping of automatic (of a gearbox/transmission).

   It's an auto sedan which we picked up from a wholesaler locally.

   • 2023 December 1, Evelynn Kersting, “GAMES AND TIME”, in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee‎, page 250‎, archived from the original on 6 June 2025:

     For the first eight years of the Tetris Championship Series, the eventual victor used a technique known as delayed auto shift, or "DAS."

Noun

auto (countable and uncountable, plural autos)

2. (now chiefly attributive) Clipping of automobile.

   My brother is an auto mechanic. He can get me a discount on auto parts.

   In 1909, his grandfather was the first farmer in the county to buy an auto.

   • 2024 December 17, Chris Isidore, “The retreat from the world’s largest auto market has begun”, in CNN‎:

     “There were golden years for GM in China, but those are over, and they’ll never have a comeback story,” said Michael Dunne, an auto industry consultant who has been involved in Western automakers’ efforts in China since the 1990s, including GM’s entry into the market.

   • 2025 March 5, John Towfighi, “US stocks rally on Trump’s tariff exemption for autos”, in CNN‎:

     “We spoke with the Big Three auto dealers. We are going to give a one-month exemption on any autos coming through USMCA,” President Donald Trump said in a statement read by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a press briefing Wednesday. Those dealers included Stellantis, Ford and General Motors.

3. (uncountable) A setting for automatic operation.

   Synonym: automatic

   Antonym: manual

   Put it on auto.

4. (automotive) An automatic gearbox/transmission.

   A body-coloured centre pillar signalled the arrival of an electronic four-speed auto, slight suspension revisions and minor trim changes.

5. (automotive) A car with an automatic gearbox/transmission.

   It wasn't too bad but we did hire an auto (couldn't imagine changing gears with my right hand).

Synonyms

• (automobile, attributively): automobile, car, motorcar; motor

Derived terms

• autobesity
• auto body
• autocade
• autocamp
• autocide
• autocoach
• auto court
• autocrash
• autocrime
• autoette
• autogas
• auto insurance
• autoist
• autoless
• auto loan
• automaker
• automaking
• automan
• automania
• automaniac
• auto mechanic
• auto park
• auto part
• autophobia
• autopia
• auto poker
• auto polo
• auto racing
• autorack
• auto rickshaw
• auto safety seat
• auto sear
• auto shop
• auto show
• autospeak
• autotransporter
• auto transport truck
• autoworker
• full auto, full-auto
• grand theft auto
• nonauto
• philautia

Verb

auto (third-person singular simple present autos, present participle autoing, simple past and past participle autoed)

1. (intransitive, dated) To travel by automobile.
   • 1907, Automotive Industries, volume 16, page 711:

     The food was excellent and well served, and it recalled the Norman cities he had autoed to.

   • 1924, The Smith Alumnae Quarterly, volumes 16-17, page 318:

     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.

Etymology 2

Clipping of autorickshaw, from Hindi ऑटो रिक्शा (ŏṭo rikśā).

Noun

auto (plural autos)

1. (India) An autorickshaw.

   Users are often unable to note down the number of the taxi or the auto as the driver will just zoom past.

See also

• tuk-tuk

Anagrams

• aout, outa

Basque

Etymology

Clipping of automobil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /au̯to/ [au̯.t̪o]

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -au̯to, -o
• Hyphenation: au‧to

Noun

auto inan

1. automobile, car

   Synonyms: kotxe, beribil

   Xabier auto berria erosi du. ― Xabier has bought a new car.

Declension

Declension of auto (inan V-stem)

	indefinite	singular	plural	proximal plural
absolutive	auto	autoa	autoak	autook
ergative	autok	autoak	autoek	autook
dative	autori	autoari	autoei	autooi
genitive	autoren	autoaren	autoen	autoon
comitative	autorekin	autoarekin	autoekin	autookin
causative	autorengatik	autoarengatik	autoengatik	autoongatik
benefactive	autorentzat	autoarentzat	autoentzat	autoontzat
instrumental	autoz	autoaz	autoez	autootaz
innesive	autotan	autoan	autoetan	autootan
locative	autotako	autoko	autoetako	autootako
allative	autotara	autora	autoetara	autootara
terminative	autotaraino	autoraino	autoetaraino	autootaraino
directive	autotarantz	autorantz	autoetarantz	autootarantz
destinative	autotarako	autorako	autoetarako	autootarako
ablative	autotatik	autotik	autoetatik	autootatik
partitive	autorik	—	—	—
prolative	autotzat	—	—	—

Derived terms

• auto-ilara (“traffic jam”)
• autobide (“freeway”)
• autoeskola
• autogile (“car manufacturer”)
• autogintza (“car manufacturing”)
• autozain
• autozale

Related terms

• auto-stop
• autobia (“freeway”)

Further reading

• “auto”, in Euskaltzaindiaren Hiztegia [Dictionary of the Basque Academy] (in Basque), Euskaltzaindia [Royal Academy of the Basque Language]
• “auto”, in Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia [General Basque Dictionary], Euskaltzaindia, 1987–2005

Catalan

Etymology

Clipping of automòbil.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [ˈaw.tu]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [ˈaw.to]

Noun

auto m (plural autos)

1. car; automobile

Further reading

• “auto”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
• “auto”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
• “auto” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “auto” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Cimbrian

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian auto, a clipping of automobile.

Noun

auto m

1. (Luserna) car, automobile

References

• Patuzzi, Umberto, ed., (2013) Luserna / Lusérn: Le nostre parole / Ünsarne börtar / Unsere Wörter [Our Words], Luserna, Italy: Comitato unitario delle isole linguistiche storiche germaniche in Italia / Einheitskomitee der historischen deutschen Sprachinseln in Italien