automatic

views updated May 23 2018

au·to·mat·ic / ˌôtəˈmatik/ • adj. 1. (of a device or process) working by itself with little or no direct human control: an automatic kettle that switches itself off when it boils. ∎  (of a firearm) self-loading and able to fire continuously until the ammunition is exhausted or the pressure on the trigger is released. ∎  (of a motor vehicle or its transmission) using gears that shift by themselves according to speed and acceleration: a four-speed automatic gearbox.2. done or occurring spontaneously, without conscious thought or intention: automatic physical functions such as breathing. ∎  occurring as a matter of course and without debate: he is the automatic choice for the senior team. ∎  (esp. of a legal sanction) given or imposed as a necessary and inevitable result of a fixed rule or particular set of circumstances: for missing the team workout, he received an automatic one-game suspension.• n. 1. an automatic machine or device, in particular: ∎  a gun that continues firing until the ammunition is exhausted or the pressure on the trigger is released. ∎  a vehicle with automatic transmission.2. Football another term for audible.DERIVATIVES: au·to·mat·i·cal·ly / -ik(ə)lē/ adv.au·to·ma·tic·i·ty / -məˈtisitē/ n.

Automatic

views updated May 23 2018

Automatic ★½ 1994 (R)

Renegade RobGen Industries android Gruner saves Ashbrook from the loathsome sexual advances of the boss but kills the scum in the process. So the duo are targeted for death by company head Glover with killers, led by Kober, sent to do the mopping up. 90m/C VHS . Olivier Gruner, Daphne Ash-brook, John Glover, Jeff Kober, Dennis Lipscomb; D: John Murlowski; W: Susan Lambert, Patrick Highsmith.