AUTOMOBILE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does automobile mean? 

• AUTOMOBILE (noun)
  The noun AUTOMOBILE has 1 sense:

1. a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

  Familiarity information: AUTOMOBILE used as a noun is very rare.

• AUTOMOBILE (verb)
  The verb AUTOMOBILE has 1 sense:

1. travel in an automobile

  Familiarity information: AUTOMOBILE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• AUTOMOBILE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

auto; automobile; car; machine; motorcar

Context example:

he needs a car to get to work

Hypernyms ("automobile" is a kind of...):

automotive vehicle; motor vehicle (a self-propelled wheeled vehicle that does not run on rails)

Meronyms (parts of "automobile"):

rear window (car window that allows vision out of the back of the car)

reverse; reverse gear (the gears by which the motion of a machine can be reversed)

anti-sway bar; stabilizer bar (a rigid metal bar between the front suspensions and between the rear suspensions of cars and trucks; serves to stabilize the chassis)

roof (protective covering on top of a motor vehicle)

running board (a narrow footboard serving as a step beneath the doors of some old cars)

sunroof; sunshine-roof (an automobile roof having a sliding or raisable panel)

fin; tail fin; tailfin (one of a pair of decorations projecting above the rear fenders of an automobile)

third; third gear (the third from the lowest forward ratio gear in the gear box of a motor vehicle)

accelerator; accelerator pedal; gas; gas pedal; gun; throttle (a pedal that controls the throttle valve)

window (a transparent opening in a vehicle that allow vision out of the sides or back; usually is capable of being opened)

bonnet; cowl; cowling; hood (protective covering consisting of a metal part that covers the engine)

air bag (a safety restraint in an automobile; the bag inflates on collision and prevents the driver or passenger from being thrown forward)

auto accessory (an accessory for an automobile)

automobile engine (the engine that propels an automobile)

automobile horn; car horn; hooter; horn; motor horn (a device on an automobile for making a warning noise)

buffer; fender (a cushion-like device that reduces shock due to an impact)

bumper (a mechanical device consisting of bars at either end of a vehicle to absorb shock and prevent serious damage)

car door (the door of a car)

car mirror (a mirror that the driver of a car can use)

car seat (a seat in a car)

car window (a window in a car)

fender; wing (a barrier that surrounds the wheels of a vehicle to block splashing water or mud)

first; first gear; low; low gear (the lowest forward gear ratio in the gear box of a motor vehicle; used to start a car moving)

floorboard (the floor of an automobile)

gasoline engine; petrol engine (an internal-combustion engine that burns gasoline; most automobiles are driven by gasoline engines)

glove compartment (compartment on the dashboard of a car)

grille; radiator grille (grating that admits cooling air to car's radiator)

high; high gear (a forward gear with a gear ratio that gives the greatest vehicle velocity for a given engine speed)

automobile trunk; boot; luggage compartment; trunk (compartment in an automobile that carries luggage or shopping or tools)

Domain member category:

saleroom; salesroom; showroom (an area where merchandise (such as cars) can be displayed)

hopped-up ((of an automobile) having the engine modified to give extra power)

prang (crash)

chattel; movable; personal chattel (personal as opposed to real property; any tangible movable property (furniture or domestic animals or a car etc))

adhesive friction; grip; traction (the friction between a body and the surface on which it moves (as between an automobile tire and the road))

passenger; rider (a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it)

rental; renting (the act of paying for the use of something (as an apartment or house or car))

tunnel (a passageway through or under something, usually underground (especially one for trains or cars))

alternator (an old term for an electric generator that produces alternating current (especially in automobiles))

backseat (a seat at the back of a vehicle (especially the seat at the back of an automobile))

road map (a map showing roads (for automobile travel))

spark lever ((on early automobiles) a lever mounted on the steering column and used to adjust the timing of the ignition)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "automobile"):

limo; limousine (large luxurious car; usually driven by a chauffeur)

secondhand car; used-car (a car that has been previously owned; not a new car)

phaeton; tourer; touring car (large open car seating four with folding top)

subcompact; subcompact car (a car smaller than a compact car)

stock car (a car kept in dealers' stock for regular sales)

Stanley Steamer (a steam-powered automobile)

S.U.V.; sport utility; sport utility vehicle; SUV (a high-performance four-wheel drive car built on a truck chassis)

sport car; sports car (a small low car with a high-powered engine; usually seats two persons)

saloon; sedan (a car that is closed and that has front and rear seats and two or four doors)

roadster; runabout; two-seater (an open automobile having a front seat and a rumble seat)

race car; racer; racing car (a fast car that competes in races)

pace car (a high-performance car that leads a parade of competing cars through the pace lap and then pulls off the course)

Model T (the first widely available automobile powered by a gasoline engine; mass-produced by Henry Ford from 1908 to 1927)

minivan (a small box-shaped passenger van; usually has removable seats; used as a family car)

minicar (a car that is even smaller than a subcompact car)

loaner (a car that is lent as a replacement for one that is under repair)

ambulance (a vehicle that takes people to and from hospitals)

jeep; landrover (a car suitable for traveling over rough terrain)

hot-rod; hot rod (a car modified to increase its speed and acceleration)

horseless carriage (an early term for an automobile)

hatchback (a car having a hatchback door)

hardtop (a car that resembles a convertible but has a fixed rigid top)

gas guzzler (a car with relatively low fuel efficiency)

electric; electric automobile; electric car (a car that is powered by electricity)

cruiser; patrol car; police car; police cruiser; prowl car; squad car (a car in which policemen cruise the streets; equipped with radiotelephonic communications to headquarters)

coupe (a car with two doors and front seats and a luggage compartment)

convertible (a car that has top that can be folded or removed)

compact; compact car (a small and economical car)

cab; hack; taxi; taxicab (a car driven by a person whose job is to take passengers where they want to go in exchange for money)

bus; heap; jalopy (a car that is old and unreliable)

beach waggon; beach wagon; estate car; station waggon; station wagon; waggon; wagon (a car that has a long body and rear door with space behind rear seat)

Derivation:

automobile (travel in an automobile)

automobilist (someone who drives (or travels in) an automobile)

• AUTOMOBILE (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Travel in an automobile

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "automobile" is one way to...):

go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)

Domain category:

driving (the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle or animal)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

automobile (a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine)

 Context examples 

A class of professional or vocational positions of employment that involve work with automobiles.

(Automotive Occupations, NCI Thesaurus)

Environmentally, formaldehyde may be found in the atmosphere, smoke from fires, automobile exhaust and cigarette smoke.

(Formaldehyde, NCI Thesaurus)

Leo also rules fine imported chocolates, fine wines, champagne and liquors, upscale spas, yachts, private planes, expensive, custom automobiles, castles, condos, and co-ops. You get the idea.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Airborne Particulate Matter is a broad class of materials and substances of minute size present in the air that originate from industrial manufacturing processes, automobile exhaust, forest fires, and fossil fuel combustion.

(Airborne Particulate Matter, NCI Thesaurus)

Likewise they decree the things that are not shop and which may be talked about, and those things are the latest operas, latest novels, cards, billiards, cocktails, automobiles, horse shows, trout fishing, tuna-fishing, big-game shooting, yacht sailing, and so forth—and mark you, these are the things the idlers know.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

A journey in an automobile.

(Car Ride, NCI Thesaurus)

The streets were crowded with perils—waggons, carts, automobiles; great, straining horses pulling huge trucks; and monstrous cable and electric cars hooting and clanging through the midst, screeching their insistent menace after the manner of the lynxes he had known in the northern woods.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Protect your valuables by making sure you have the right insurance, and also collect your valuables (computer, tablet, iPhone) when moving about on trains, planes, and automobiles.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

He went further, and in a private talk with Hermann told him to keep his eyes open for an automobile agency and garage, for there was no reason that he should not be able to run both establishments successfully.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

I was sure that they were selling something: bonds or insurance or automobiles.

(The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald)