automation

noun

au·​to·​ma·​tion ˌȯ-tə-ˈmā-shən How to pronounce automation (audio)
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 Retail has been incorporating automation into its systems for years now—think Domino’s mesmerizing Pizza Tracker introduced in 2008—but introducing physical, large-scale robots into retail spaces is relatively new. Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024 This automation is expected to allow officers to better focus on identifying potential risks and threats. Carter Evans, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 Yet, digital advancements, such as automation, are quickly becoming linchpins in addressing slow, manual, and error-prone tasks hindering procurement efficiency. Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Decision cycles will shorten as countries adopt AI and automation to reduce the time to find, identify, and strike enemy targets. Paul Scharre, Foreign Affairs, 29 Feb. 2024 Large companies, meanwhile, are already shifting their resources to invest heavily in AI technology and are sometimes laying off employees in anticipation of an increase in productivity through automation. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 Some economists say that trend, along with business investment in automation, is helping fuel a surge in productivity that allows companies to raise pay and reap bigger profits without necessarily raising prices. Paul Wiseman, Quartz, 9 Mar. 2024 But chief information and chief technology officers remain firmly focused on efficiencies, including infrastructure, application modernization, and basic automation. John Kell, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024 These days, some tech entrepreneurs argue that cash aid will be needed as gig work, automation and AI threaten jobs. Jennifer Ludden, NPR, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'automation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

1912, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of automation was in 1912

Dictionary Entries Near automation

Cite this Entry

“Automation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automation. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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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