# automobile

/ˈɔtəmoʊˌbiɫ/ (US) · /ˈɔːtəməbˌiəl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/automobile
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 3. self-moving

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical · Archaic

moving by its own power rather than being pulled by an animal.

For teachers: self-propelling or self-moving; used historically to distinguish mechanical vehicles from horse-drawn ones.

- The inventor showed off his new automobile carriage to the amazed crowd.
- Early patents often described these machines as automobile apparatuses to emphasize that they required no external draft animals for propulsion.

## Examples

- The first automobile changed how people travel.
- The museum features a rare collection of early twentieth-century automobiles that still run perfectly.
- While the term car is ubiquitous in daily speech, the word automobile remains the standard in legal statutes and insurance policies to define motor-driven passenger vehicles.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.