automotive

adjective

au·​to·​mo·​tive ˌȯ-tə-ˈmō-tiv How to pronounce automotive (audio)
1
: self-propelled
2
: of, relating to, or concerned with self-propelled vehicles or machines

Examples of automotive in a Sentence

The store stocks automotive parts.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Our advisers include people with experience at major automotive companies, including Alex Lee, the former CEO of Singer, and a former BMW CFO. — New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2026 The modern assembly line American industrialist Ransom Olds introduced an early automotive assembly-line production system around 1901, while Henry Ford later popularized moving assembly lines in automobile manufacturing. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026 Making technology like this affordable will require advances across the automotive supply chain, including contributions from smaller manufacturers willing to take risks that larger companies may avoid. — Rick Lazio, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026 In recent years, Amon has spearheaded Qualcomm's diversification away from its core smartphone chip business into automotive, personal computing, internet of things, and artificial intelligence markets. — CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for automotive

Word History

Etymology

auto- + motive entry 2

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of automotive was in 1830

Rhymes for automotive

See All Rhymes for automotive

Browse Nearby Words

automorphism
automotive
autonarcosis
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Automotive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automotive. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

automotive

adjective
au·​to·​mo·​tive ˌȯt-ə-ˈmōt-iv How to pronounce automotive (audio)
1
: self-propelled
2
: of, relating to, or concerned with automobiles, trucks, or buses
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of grotesque

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All