noun
auto
AW-toh
noun
1
(informal, especially US) A car; short for automobile.
"He works at the auto shop down the street."
How to Use Auto
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA short, casual word for "car," mostly used in compounds like "auto shop" or "auto insurance."
UK vs US
More common in American English than British English, where "car" is preferred on its own.
Word Forms
autoed past tense, autos plural, autos singular
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He works at the _____ shop down the street.
Etymology
A shortened form of "automobile," ultimately from Greek autós ("self").