cyborg
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of cyborg
1960–65; cyb(ernetic) org(anism)
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Explanation
An organism that is partly mechanical and partly biological is a cyborg. The Star Wars character Darth Vader is a good example of a cyborg: he's a person whose body has been improved through technology. He's mainly, but not entirely, human. The term cyborg was coined in 1960, from cybernetic and organism, and since then it's mainly been used in fiction and as a theoretical concept. The meaning of this word has changed over time as science fiction ideas (from virtual reality to artificial heart valves) increasingly become real. Some people think that individuals using any kind of internal medical device, from pacemakers to cochlear implants, could technically be classified as cyborgs.
Vocabulary lists containing cyborg
Portmanteaus: Vocab Mash-Ups
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Science Fiction Lingo
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The Cardboard Kingdom
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Others joked that he was a "cyborg" or emulating Hollywood actor Top Cruise in Top Gun, the 1986 movie that made wearing aviators a fashion statement.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
Noah Hawley’s TV series expands that part of the conversation through Olyphant’s chilly synth, Kirsh, and Ceesay’s determined cyborg, Morrow.
From Salon • Sep. 8, 2025
This confessional, interior dialogue is meant for the entertainment and edification of the “Murderbot” audience, which the titular cyborg assumes is on its side.
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2025
Mensah is a maternal figure who insists that Murderbot show its human face, although the cyborg detests eye contact.
From Salon • Jul. 7, 2025
I flashed the cyborg doorman my invitation, then mounted the long crystal staircase leading up into the club.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
