automate

UK/ˈɔːtəmeɪt/US/ˈɔ.təˌmeɪt/

verbC2Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #14,094 of 15,258mostly written

Other forms: automated, automating, automates

To automate is to replace human work with machinery. Automate the process.

The rule of thumb is that it suits work which is repetitive and exactly specified. Automating a bad process makes it wrong faster rather than better.

Definitions of automate

1verbautomateTo replace human work with machinery.C2
“They automated the whole line in eighteen months.”

automate is an action.

Where it comes from

Back-formation from automation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practise this word

automate in the wild

The former may include analysis of the map and even basic strategy; the latter may be used to automate a repetitive and tedious task like farming.
Video game bot
MUD players may run bots to automate laborious tasks, which can sometimes make up the bulk of the gameplay.
Video game bot
Michael Joseph Owens was an inventor of machines to automate the production of glass bottles.
Michael Joseph Owens
The processes are usually business-related but can be any process that requires a series of steps to be automated via software.
Workflow application
An auto clicker is a type of software or macro that can be used to automate the clicking of a mouse on a computer screen element.
Auto clicker

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.

Related words

automated

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