bot

¹ American  

[bot] / bɒt /

noun

1. Digital Technology. a software program that can execute commands, reply to messages, or perform routine tasks, as online searches, either automatically or with minimal human intervention (often used in combination): a customer service chatbot to answer product questions.

   a social media bot retweeting certain posts;

   a customer service chatbot to answer product questions.

2. Informal. a robot.

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bot ² American  

[bot] / bɒt /

Or bott

noun

1. the larva of a botfly.

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bot ³ American  

[bot] / bɒt /

noun

Australian Slang.

1. a person who cadges; scrounger.

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bot. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. botanical.

2. botanist.

3. botany.

4. bottle.

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B.O.T. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Board of Trade.

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bot ¹ British  

/ bɒt /

verb

1. to scrounge or borrow

2. to scrounge (from); impose (on)

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noun

1. a scrounger

2. wanting to scrounge

   he's on the bot for a cigarette

bot ² British  

/ bɒt /

noun

1. computing an autonomous computer program that performs time-consuming tasks, esp on the internet

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bot. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. botanical

2. botany

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bot ⁴ British  

/ bɒt /

noun

1. the larva of a botfly, which typically develops inside the body of a horse, sheep, or man

2. any similar larva

3. informal a mild illness in humans

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BOT ⁵ British  

abbreviation

1. Board of Trade

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bot Scientific  

/ bŏt /

1. A software program that imitates the behavior of a human, as by querying search engines or participating in chatroom discussions.

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Etymology

Origin of bot¹

First recorded in 1985–90; bot ¹ def. 2 first recorded in 1965–70; shortening of robot

Origin of bot²

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; akin to Dutch bot, Frisian dialect botten (plural); further origin unknown

Origin of bot³

First recorded in 1915–20; perhaps shortening of botfly

Example Sentences

Often, there are cybersecurity and regulatory compliance hurdles to clear before a bot can take over a person’s tasks.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

I then called the first number again, reached the bot, and followed the instructions to submit a fraud review.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

AI chat bot Grok has its own account on the X social network allowing users to interact with it.

From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026

While none of my formal education prepared me for this type of editing, the largely one-dimensional style of bot writing is always easy to detect.

From Slate • Mar. 20, 2026

I look at the bot in surprise, but it ignores me and attacks the other two avatars before turning on the other bots.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu