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chatbot

American  
[chat-bot] / ˈtʃætˌbɒt /

noun

Digital Technology.

  1. a computer program designed to respond with conversational or informational replies to verbal or written messages from users.

chatbot British  
/ ˈtʃætˌbɒt /

noun

  1. a computer program in the form of a virtual e-mail correspondent that can reply to messages from computer users

"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

Etymology

Origin of chatbot

First recorded in 1990–95; chat ( def. ) + bot 1 ( def. )

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 level of detail can be creepy, sure, but it’s also what makes the chatbot valuable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

This exercise confirmed that my chatbot knows a lot, perhaps too much.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

More than a year has passed since the startup put Chinese AI on the map in early 2025 with a low-cost chatbot that performed at a similar level to US rivals.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Following three days in a coma after a seizure, Phoebe, from Cardiff, put her symptoms into the AI chatbot.

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

“As always,” the legal employee battling the chatbot said, “I ended up just using my real, actual brain.”

From Slate • Apr. 9, 2026

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.