botnet

noun

bot·​net ˈbät-ˌnet 

: a network of computers that have been linked together by malware : a network of bots (see bot entry 1 sense 2b)

Criminals link hijacked personal computers together to form "botnets"—clusters of infected PCs that spammers can control from anywhere in the world.

—Dave Mosher

Examples of botnet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Traditional botnets often spread through software flaws or weak passwords. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2026

The actions to date are little more than whack-a-mole exercises as the operators simply replace their botnets with new ones. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 13 July 2026

In response, Google, which develops the Android OS, shut down the Google accounts and services NetNut relied on to control the botnet. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 2 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

bot entry 1 + net entry 1

First Known Use

2003, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for botnet

• abet
• asset
• baguette
• banquette
• barbette
• beget
• beset
• binet
• briquette
• brunet
• brunette
• burette