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Glite Dictionary
auto part

auto part

19 3.0
A piece of a car, like a wheel or battery, that helps it work
  • noun
  • /ˈɔːtoʊ pɑrt/
  • US
translation icon : pieza de automóvil
  • I told them about living in Downey, near Kate, and my new job at an auto parts warehouse.
  • market for auto parts

I live in Fullerton and I'm in auto parts sales.

Examples

  • You can find various types of auto parts at the store, from batteries to brake pads.

  • In addition to auto parts factories, it also built an engineering center in Shanghai.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Find out why we have been a top choice for used auto parts for more.

    Blog text (9)

  • I ran into this relationship when I worked for an auto parts company in Japan.

    Academic text (1995)

  • He's got an auto parts store over at Fourth and Central.

    Absentia (2011)

  • Her father owned an auto parts store in partnership with another brother-in-law.

    Academic text (2004)

  • For example, an auto manufacturer may spin off a company or companies that make various auto parts.

    Academic text (1999)

  • Many repair shops will guarantee their work, and auto parts makers will repair any parts they make.

    Blog text (28)

  • His carport was littered with various auto parts and two old engine blocks.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Support for the Right to Repair includes repair shops, auto parts stores, and auto clubs such as AAA.

    Blog text (2)

Synonyms

part
vsauto part
∞ 1.0

A piece of something that, with others, makes a whole

is confined to physical vehicle components, not abstract pieces
car part
vsauto part
9 1.4

A piece of a car, like an engine or wheel

is the same concept but uses a different vehicle word
component part
vsauto part
3 3.5

A single piece that makes up a larger object

is limited to elements that belong to vehicles rather than any whole

How Essential

auto part
  • US
19 3.0

Surface Forms

auto part singular
auto parts plural

Morphology

auto + part

The meaning 'a component of an automobile' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'auto' (car) with 'part' (piece/component); the head–modifier noun compound pattern is regular and compositional. This construction is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English compounding, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Auto part is a compound made from auto, short for 'automobile', and part, meaning a piece of a car. People in repair shops used the phrase for the pieces they sold or fitted, so today auto part means 'a piece of a car'.