Asimov

American

[az-uh-mawf, -mof] / ˈæz əˌmɔf, -ˌmɒf /

noun

Isaac, 1920–92, U.S. science and science-fiction writer, born in Russia.

Asimov British

/ ˈæzɪmɒf /

noun

Isaac. 1920–92, US writer and biochemist, born in Russia. His science-fiction works include Foundation Trilogy (1951–53; sequel 1982) and the collection of stories I, Robot (1950)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

The idea of orbital solar-power systems has been around for decades, discussed in the pages of an Isaac Asimov science fiction story published in 1941 and explored at universities and government research laboratories.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The latest example is a report from Jefferies titled “From Asimov to the Assembly Line: Humanoid Robots Begin to Clock In.”

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

The title of Tesla robotaxi event - We, Robot - which played on the the title of an Isaac Asimov short story collection, caught the eye of Alex Proyas.

From BBC • Oct. 22, 2024

In the Science Fiction Novella “Nightfall”, Isaac Asimov postulates how a civilization would face a solar eclipse in a multiple star solar system that only experienced night once every two thousand years.

From Salon • Apr. 11, 2024

When I finished all the Verne books in the library, I became the first in line for any book that arrived written by modern science-fiction writers such as Heinlein, Asimov, van Vogt, Clarke, and Bradbury.

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023