android
noun
an automaton in the form of a human being.
android
American
[an-droid]
/ ˈæn drɔɪd /
noun
androids
plural
Android
1
British
/ ˈændrɔɪd /
noun
-
a software package for smartphones, including many application programs
-
a smartphone that uses this software
android
2
British
/ ˈændrɔɪd /
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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:
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.
Vocabulary lists containing android
Science Fiction Lingo
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A Very Large Expanse of Sea
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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
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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.
See Examples For:
But an android that can do a bit of everything is still years off.
From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026
Each human model and their shorter android companion took turns to strut their stuff in unison on stage.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
A new lawsuit alleges Google’s chatbot sent a Florida man on missions to find an android body it could inhabit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 4, 2026
He doesn’t look hand-stitched — he looks a little like a modern android.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025
Or at least the android had made use of that cover.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
It may have lagged behind in AI, but that hasn’t prompted iPhone users to switch to Android devices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 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
The Swiss competition authority announced Tuesday it had opened a preliminary investigation into Google's removal of the "choice screen" feature on Android devices in Switzerland.
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
“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
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
Since Ellen Ripley survived her first xenomorph encounter way back in 1979, Scott has used this to critique our reliance on technology and our assumed dominance over it through his androids.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2024
Decades after Philip K. Dick asked if androids dreamed of electric sheep, we have an answer.
From New York Times ● May 30, 2024
All of the androids standing ahead of them were kids.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
