automation Syllabification: (au·to·ma·tion)Pronunciation: /ˌôtəˈmāSHən/Translate automation | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of automation noun the use of largely automatic equipment in a system of manufacturing or other production process:unemployment due to the spread of automation the automation of office tasksOrigin: 1940s (originally US): irregular formation from automatic + -ationautomation in other Oxford dictionaries Definition of automation in the British & World English dictionary