Dalek

British

/ ˈdɑːlɛk /

noun

any of a set of fictional robot-like creations that are aggressive, mobile, and produce rasping staccato speech

"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 Dalek

C20: from a children's television series, Dr Who

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.

Since then, he has built five more, with names including Dalek Rad, Dalek Bert and Dalek Blisteron.

From BBC • May 30, 2025

From one corner of the room, a full-size replica Dalek watched over the scene.

From New York Times • May 14, 2024

They include a genus of wasp called Dalek, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who.

From BBC • Dec. 28, 2023

Soon enough their loneliness takes a back seat to the much larger threat involving the discovery of yet another insidious Dalek plan.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2021

“It looks like a Dalek, but it can’t be a Dalek — unless it’s a Dalek,” the Doctor will say when she encounters one again, again.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 1, 2021

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