: 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)
Today, robots are operating on or around the Moon and Mars.—Stephen Clark
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
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
Noun (1)
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.
Noun
More than 300 robots are involved in the manufacturing of vehicles at the plant.—
Aj Willingham,
AJC.com,
6 July 2026 Smarter robot safety As robots become more capable through AI, safety systems have lagged.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
6 July 2026 The robot’s halftime appearance comes as Hyundai continues to expand its robotics strategy following its acquisition of a controlling stake in Boston Dynamics.—
Clemente Lisi,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2026 At halftime in New Jersey during Sunday’s Brazil v Norway match in the FIFA World Cup (Norway won 2-1), a Boston Dynamics/Hyundai robot named Atlas handed the match ball to the referee.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
6 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for robot
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Czech, from robota compulsory labor; akin to Old High German arabeit trouble, Latin orbus orphaned — more at orphan
: 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
Noun
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.
Copy Citation
