robot

[roh-bot]

noun

1. a machine that resembles a human and does mechanical, routine tasks on command.

2. a person who acts and responds in a mechanical, routine manner, usually subject to another's will; automaton.

3. any machine or mechanical device that operates automatically with humanlike skill.

adjective

1. operating automatically.

   a robot train operating between airline terminals.

robot

/ ˈrəʊbɒt /

noun

1. any automated machine programmed to perform specific mechanical functions in the manner of a man

2. (modifier) not controlled by man; automatic

   a robot pilot

3. a person who works or behaves like a machine; automaton

4. a set of traffic lights

robot

1. A machine designed to replace human beings in performing a variety of tasks, either on command or by being programmed in advance.

Other Word Forms

• robotism noun
• robotic adjective
• robotistic adjective
• robotlike adjective
• robot-like adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of robot¹

< Czech, coined by Karel Čapek in the play R.U.R. (1920) from the base robot-, as in robota compulsory labor, robotník peasant owing such labor

Word History and Origins

Origin of robot¹

C20: (used in R.U.R. , a play by Karel _Čapek ) from Czech robota work; related to Old Slavonic rabota servitude, German Arbeit work

Example Sentences

At the brightly lit factory in the southern industrial heartland of Guangzhou, logistics robots zip around ferrying unfinished parts.

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As AI technology trends toward autonomous vehicles and robots, Marcus and others believe the new frontier will be “world models,” or AI with a mental simulation of the real world.

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Videos of robots folding laundry or brewing espresso have flooded social-media feeds, while investors have poured billions of dollars into development.

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More than 150 Chinese companies are making humanoid robots but a market bubble risks forming in the rapidly growing futuristic industry, a Beijing official has warned.

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This year, Amazon deployed its millionth robot, and treated the fleet to a new data model that improved travel time by 10%.

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