virtual assistant

American  

[vur-choo-uhl uh-sis-tuhnt] / ˈvɜr tʃu əl əˈsɪs tənt /

noun

1. a person, as a freelance office assistant, who works remotely in an administrative role.

2.  voice assistant.   digital assistant.  Digital Technology. a device or piece of software that can perform basic tasks and answer some questions in response to spoken natural language, often following a command or prompt.

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Etymology

Origin of virtual assistant

First recorded in 2000–05 virtual assistant for def. 1, and in 2010–15 virtual assistant for def. 2

Example Sentences

Apple was reportedly planning to include new features for its virtual assistant in the upcoming iOS 26.4 operating system update in March but is now looking to release them incrementally, according to Bloomberg.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 12, 2026

According to Bisha, she had originally signed a contract authorising the use of her image until the end of 2025 to represent a virtual assistant on an online government services portal.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

Copilot exists as both a consumer app and a virtual assistant within the company’s enterprise tools.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 8, 2025

Google shows AI-generated summaries of search results, released an “AI mode” in search and has a virtual assistant called Gemini.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 2, 2025

For a virtual assistant, she’s got good taste, although she wasn’t a fan of the high-top sneakers.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas