robot

American  

[roh-bot] / ˈroʊ bɒt /

noun

• robots
  plural

1. a machine that resembles a human and does mechanical, routine tasks on command.

2. a person who acts and responds in a mechanical, routine manner, usually subject to another's will; automaton.

3. any machine or mechanical device that operates automatically with humanlike skill.

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adjective

1. operating automatically.

   a robot train operating between airline terminals.

robot British  

/ ˈrəʊbɒt /

noun

1. any automated machine programmed to perform specific mechanical functions in the manner of a man

2. (modifier) not controlled by man; automatic

   a robot pilot

3. a person who works or behaves like a machine; automaton

4. a set of traffic lights

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robot Scientific  

/ rō′bŏt′ /

1. A machine designed to replace human beings in performing a variety of tasks, either on command or by being programmed in advance.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• robotism
  noun
• robot-like
  adjective
• robotic
  adjective
• robotistic
  adjective
• robotlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• robots
  plural

Etymology

Origin of robot

< Czech, coined by Karel Čapek in the play R.U.R. (1920) from the base robot-, as in robota compulsory labor, robotník peasant owing such labor

Explanation

A robot is a mechanical creation that can move or act on its own. Science fiction is full of robots. Also called droids, Cylons, and bots, robots are certainly the stuff of science fiction stories. But there are plenty of real robots out there in the world, using their mechanical smarts to make life easier. There are robots that can vacuum the rug, dance, perform surgery, clean oil spills, and even build cars. The field of robotics is growing all the time. Maybe someday you'll even have that robot butler so many of us have dreamed about.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

robot robots

A man in Washington filmed himself raging at a Mingo delivery robot, yelling “You took a human job!” after the robot asked for help pressing a crosswalk button.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

"To see some robot play doesn't make sense to me," the 29-year-old says.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

The team works with Africa One, a humanoid robot they built, to refine and expand the signs their mechnical arms are able to produce.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

One robot tidied cupboards and wiped surfaces, while others put orange juice and milk in the fridge, threw away empty packaging and loaded the dishwasher.

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

She held out her palms and shot two more laser beams into the giant robot pelican suit.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Vandalism of $2,500 food-delivery robots is on the rise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026

While the public debates whether these fears are overblown—only the robots know for sure—the conversation seems to have reached people who might have the power to do something about it.

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2026

She also reduces the fair value of the company’s U.S.-based robotics affiliate, Boston Dynamics, to 55 billion won from 115 billion won previously, based on a newly estimated average selling price for Atlas humanoid robots.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

The chancellor was perhaps mindful of the army of manufacturing robots, laser welders, 3D metal printers, whirring into action around him.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Clearly, these robots were designed to work as a team.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown