automation

noun

au·​to·​ma·​tion ˌȯ-tə-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce automation (audio)
Synonyms of automationnext
1
: the technique of making an apparatus, a process, or a system operate automatically
2
: the state of being operated automatically
3
: automatically controlled operation of an apparatus, process, or system by mechanical or electronic devices that take the place of human labor

Examples of automation in a Sentence

feared that automation would add millions to the ranks of the unemployed
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.
Labor economists are skeptical of widespread automation in restaurants, warning productivity benefits are often modest compared to the cost of the new technology, and that truly unlocking benefits of AI in the industry requires a complete overhaul of operations. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 19 May 2026 In discussing his strategic priorities, England emphasized that the next phase for Target involves leveraging technology, specifically AI and automation, and modernizing how products are planned, moved and delivered. Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 19 May 2026 The promise of artificial intelligence arrived dressed as efficiency in the form of faster decisions, smarter automation, and scalable intelligence. Wyles Daniel may 19, Miami Herald, 19 May 2026 Experiments like Strachey’s were part of an explosion of postwar research on the relationship between mathematics and language, expressions of a broader fascination with the automation of knowledge, which crossed disciplines and suffused the culture. Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 18 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for automation

Word History

Etymology

perhaps blend of automatic entry 1 and operation

Note: The coinage of this word has been attributed to the Ford Motor Company executive Delmar S. Harder (1892-1973), who in the period 1947-48 was a vice president of manufacturing. In the third volume of a history of Ford by Allan Nevins and Frank Ernest Hill (Ford: Decline and Rebirth, 1933-1962 [New York, 1963], p. 354), the following account is given: "At a staff meeting in 1947 Harder suggested a new department to study the efficient handling of materials …Harder groped for a name; 'the Automated Handling Department,' he suggested, then, 'better still, the Automation Department.' This seems to have been the first significant appearance of the word. Later, Harder dated its use back to 1936, when he was at Grand Rapids with General Motors. By the diligent efforts of Ford publicity men, and his own impressive accomplishments, Harder came to be known as 'the father of automation.' John Diebold of the Harvard Business School also claims to have invented the word 'automation,' but seems to have done so, according to the Ford version, a few days later than Harder's use in 1947." Unfortunately, Nevins and Hill give no exact source for this story, though, according to a later endnote, Harder was interviewed by them on November 12, 1959. An early printed instance of automation is in an article in the trade journal American Machinist ("Ford Handles by Automation," by Rupert Le Grand, vol. 92, no. 22 [October 21, 1948], pp. 107-22). It is not certain that John Diebold, an early writer on automation, ever claimed to have coined the word; at any rate, in 1947, when the Automation Department was formed at Ford, Diebold, who was born in 1926, was an undergraduate at Swarthmore and unlikely to have been in a position to introduce the word. See also the note at automate.

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of automation was in 1948

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Cite this Entry

“Automation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automation. Accessed 21 May. 2026.

Kids Definition

automation

noun
au·​to·​ma·​tion ˌȯt-ə-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce automation (audio)
1
: the method of making a device, a process, or a system operate by itself
2
: automatic operation of a device, process, or system by mechanical or electronic devices that replace human operators

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