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• android
  android

  noun

  an automaton in the form of a human being.
• Android
  Android

  noun

  a software package for smartphones, including many application programs

android

American  

[an-droid] / ˈæn drɔɪd /

noun

androids plural

1. an automaton in the form of a human being.

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Android ¹ British  

/ ˈændrɔɪd /

noun

1. a software package for smartphones, including many application programs

2. a smartphone that uses this software

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android ² British  

/ ˈændrɔɪd /

noun

1. (in science fiction) a robot resembling a human being

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adjective

1. resembling a human being

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• androids
  plural

Etymology

Origin of android

From the New Latin word androīdēs, dating back to 1720–30. See andr-, -oid

Compare meaning

How does android compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cyborg vs. android

Explanation

An android is a robot that looks and acts like a human being. Sometimes they have fake skin that looks so real you can’t tell the difference. For all you know, the person sitting next to you is an android. Life’s biggest question: What’s the difference between cyborgs and androids? Cyborgs are humans with robot parts added to them, and androids start as robots and then get designed to look like humans. The Latin root androides literally means “resembling a man,” and androids really know how to blend in. Androids mostly appear in science fiction novels and films, but who knows, maybe you’re friends with an android and you don’t even know it. Yet.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

android Android androids

Another element of the plot, which grows in prominence as the film proceeds, concerns the banding together of the handful of android children in the neighborhood.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

But an android that can do a bit of everything is still years off.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

The android knows how to navigate the planet’s threats—exploding spike plants, acid-spitting eels, literal razor grass—so Dek reluctantly teams up with her to find his quarry.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 9, 2025

He doesn’t look hand-stitched — he looks a little like a modern android.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

“It forgot,” Resch said, rising to his feet, “that this is my job. I can almost foretell what an android is going to do, I suppose you can, too.”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

“They have the Android and the iPhone, and that’s kind of how you’re going to use AI for now,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

It alleged Google pressured phone makers using Android to pre-install its search engine and Google Chrome browser -- essentially shutting out rivals.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

It has been downloaded more than a billion times across iOS and Android devices, with millions still logging on each day.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

Google’s then-chief executive Eric Schmidt sat on Apple’s board as his company developed Android.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

“The Android Look was not a good one for me.”

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

Do androids dream of electric balls and strikes—plus some other questions on baseball’s Opening Day.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 25, 2026

We are already familiar with cyborgs and the use of artificial intelligence androids, or synths, which we’ve seen time and time again in each movie.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2025

The filmmaker, whose film stars Will Smith as a detective sceptical of seemingly obedient androids, accused Musk of copying his work in a post on X.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2024

Decades after Philip K. Dick asked if androids dreamed of electric sheep, we have an answer.

From New York Times ● May 30, 2024

Other humans, having no knowledge of the presence of androids among them, had to be protected at all costs—even that of losing the quarry.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick