robotics
Americannoun
noun
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the science or technology of designing, building, and using robots
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another name for robot dancing
Etymology
Origin of robotics
Explanation
Robotics is the study of robots, or machines that are designed to do certain jobs. If you're fascinated with robots, you might want to study robotics in college. Robotics, the branch of science that studies the technology and uses of robots, involves various kinds of engineering and computer programming. While a robot is defined as a machine that can be programmed to do a job, many people interested in robotics (especially science fiction fans) think of them as a mechanical replacement for a human. Robotics comes from robot, from the Czech robotiti, "work or drudge."
Vocabulary lists containing robotics
Science Fiction Lingo
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Workshop 5, Part 1
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This Week in Words: Current Event Vocabulary for October 28–November 3, 2023
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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.
Tesla, for its part, has plans to dominate U.S. robotics.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
UWE said Collins, a robotics student, was an "active member of student societies".
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
On the scarier side, Wright says there's another place we can already see the combination of robotics and agentic AI: battlefield drones.
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026
“We’re in the right place at the right time for a humanoid robotics revolution to happen,” Englot says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026
“When I need an elementary course in robotics, I’ll file an application with you formally, and in triplicate. Down through here.”
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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.
