robot

noun

ro·​bot ˈrō-ˌbät How to pronounce robot (audio)
-bət
plural robots
1
: a machine that resembles a living creature in being capable of moving independently (as by walking or rolling on wheels) and performing complex actions (such as grasping and moving objects)
When the next space launch heads for Mars, on board will be dozens of tiny mobile robots that will fan out across the Martian landscape, exploring every nook and cranny.—Michael Bowker
often : such a machine built to resemble a human being or animal in appearance and behavior
While science fiction robots have been capable of independent thought, emotions, even a little cooking and sewing, scientists are finding that endowing a mechanical being with even the most basic human functions is a monumental challenge. —Greg Freiherr
As a sign of the times, paleontologists themselves have taken to … designing dinosaur robots and displays … —Malcolm W. Browne
—often used before another noun
a robot dog
a robot servant
compare android, bot entry 1
2
a
: a device that automatically performs complicated, often repetitive tasks (as in an industrial assembly line)
the use of robots in car manufacturing
… factories run by robots producing many replicas of one product.—Morris Philipson
—often used before another noun
For fluid applications, especially in the automotive industry, the robot arm must have extremely flexible movement.—Harry H. Poole
b
: a mechanism guided by automatic controls
a robot airplane
3
: a person who resembles a machine in seeming to function automatically or in lacking normal feelings or emotions
… seems to believe that professors are robots, students are superficial, grade-hungry receptacles …—Micaela Rubalcava
robotism
ˈrō-ˌbä-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce robot (audio)
-bə-
noun

Did you know?

In 1920, Czech writer Karel Čapek published a play titled R.U.R. Those initials stood for "Rossum's Universal Robots," which was the name of a fictional company that manufactured human-like machines designed to perform hard, dull, dangerous work for people. The machines in the play eventually grew to resent their jobs and rebelled—with disastrous results for humans. During the writing of his play, Čapek consulted with his brother, the painter and writer Josef Čapek, who suggested the name robot for these machines, from the Czech word robota, which means "forced labor." Robot made its way into our language in 1922 when R.U.R. was translated into English.

Examples of robot in a Sentence

The cars are assembled by robots.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Kim Kardashian Shares Adorable Family Photos of Her 4 Kids and Mom Kris Jenner: ‘Life Lately’ In one shot, the robot was positioned beside her in the car while the butterfly-style doors were open, while a second image focused on the reality star's stockings as the robot's arm touched her thigh. —Becca Longmire, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024 MacKinnon is the league’s best player, a hockey robot, who has always been more concerned about winning than feelings. —Troy Renck, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024 Featured items include Beats (AAPL) headphones, Apple AirPods, robot vacuums, travel luggage, and kids’ tablets, which are all marked down for the event. —Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 13 Nov. 2024 The iRobot Roomba Combo j7+ is a versatile robot vacuum and mop that effectively cleans a variety of surfaces without wetting carpets, thanks to its retractable mop. —Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for robot 

Word History

Etymology

Czech, from robota compulsory labor; akin to Old High German arabeit trouble, Latin orbus orphaned — more at orphan

First Known Use

1922, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of robot was in 1922

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries Near robot

roborate

robot

robot bomb

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Robot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/robot. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

robot

noun
ro·​bot ˈrō-ˌbät How to pronounce robot (audio)
1
a
: a machine that looks and acts like a human being
b
: a capable but unfeeling person
2
: a device that automatically performs tasks that are complicated and often continuously repeated
robotic
rō-ˈbät-ik
adjective
robotically
-i-k(ə-)lē
adverb
Etymology

from Czech robot "a machine that looks human and performs dull or dangerous work," from robota "forced labor, work"

Word Origin
In 1923 a play by the Czech author Karel Čapek introduced the word robot to English. The title of the play, R.U.R., stood for "Rossum's Universal Robots," a fictional company that manufactured robots. These humanlike machines were supposed to perform all the hard, dull, and dangerous work for people, but they finally became resentful and rebelled, killing all humans. Čapek formed the word robot from the Czech robota, meaning "forced labor." The play was very popular and influential. As a result, the word robot came to have several meanings, including "a human being who has become brutal and insensitive or machinelike because of overwork and mistreatment." It is used today for machines that may not look human but do perform dangerous or dull work.

More from Merriam-Webster on robot

Nglish: Translation of robot for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about robot

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...