au·to-sug·gest
ˌȯ-tō-sə(g)-ˈjest 
variants
or autosuggest
: a feature found in many computer programs (such as search engines and text messaging apps) that analyzes a user's typing based on various factors (such as the surrounding context, the user's typing history, and the first few typed letters) and presents a list of words and phrases that can be selected and entered
Autocomplete, as the name suggests, is the feature that completes a partial search query by matching the character string that the user types. Autosuggest is the clever little feature that makes it seem like Google is nesting in your brain, predicting what you want to search seemingly before you even know it yourself.—
Louise Merry
Louise Merry
variants
or autosuggest
auto-suggested or autosuggested; auto-suggesting or autosuggesting; auto-suggests or autosuggests
1
of software
: to present (content options, such as a list of words and phrases that can be selected and entered) based on an analysis of various factors (such as the surrounding context, the user's typing history, and the first few letters typed) : to offer (content options) by means of auto-suggest
On some emails, Inbox [an email service] auto-suggests three short replies. Tap one, add your edits, then hit send.—Andy Wolber
Andy Wolber2
: to influence (oneself or one's attitudes, behavior, etc.) or be influenced by (a thought, etc.) by means of auto-suggestion
… we constantly auto-suggest negative thoughts. "I'm too fat," "I'm not clever enough," "I'm a smoker."—Eleanor Bailey
Eleanor BaileyAnd, of course, making theatre is a kind of con as well. "The process of magic and the process of confidence games, and to a certain extent the process of drama, are all processes of autosuggestion," [David] Mamet said. "They cause the audience to autosuggest themselves in a way which seems perfectly logical, but is actually false."—Hilton Als
Hilton AlsDictionary Entries Near auto-suggest
Cite this Entry
“Auto-suggest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/auto-suggest. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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