bot

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈbät 

1

: robot

The competition pits remote-controlled, spinning, stabbing robots against each other in three-minute jousts to the death. At the end of each fight, either one of the bots is a smoking, immobile wreck or the judges decide who scored the most blows.

—Brad Stone

2

a

: a computer program that performs automatic repetitive tasks : agent sense 5

Several shopping "bots" will track down prices for on-line merchandise from a variety of vendors.

—Sam Vincent Meddis

especially : one designed to perform a malicious action

These bot programs churn away all day and night, prodding at millions of random IP addresses looking for holes to crawl through.

—Jennifer Tanaka

b

: a computer that has been infected with a bot and can be used for malicious purposes as part of a network of infected computers

These proxies then sent instructions to worker bots in set patterns, including templates for spam creation.

—Jeff Hecht

3

: a computer program or character (as in a game) designed to mimic the actions of a person

bot

2 of 3

noun (2)

variants or less commonly bott

: the larva of a botfly

especially : one infesting the horse

bot

3 of 3

abbreviation

1

botanical; botanist; botany

2

bottle

3

bottom

4

bought

Examples of bot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the second case, a biologist at the University of Copenhagen has questioned Anthropic’s claim that its Claude AI bot had discovered a new enzyme. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026

Tech YouTuber Matt Robb says that Muse gave out his home address to a total stranger this weekend, after authorizing the bot to handle his Facebook Marketplace account. — Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 29 Sep. 2026

With smarter obstacle avoidance, self-emptying docks, and mopping pads that actually scrub, today’s cleaning bots deliver an instant quality-of-life upgrade. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Website operators will need to know whether a human or bot is making a reservation, selling a product or making a purchase. — Deven Desai, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

by shortening

Noun (2)

Middle English; akin to Dutch leverbot liver fluke

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1969, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bot

• chat bot

Kids Definition

bot

1 of 2 noun

ˈbät 

: the larva of a botfly

bot

2 of 2 noun

1

: robot

2

: a computer program that performs automatic, repetitive, and sometimes harmful tasks

3

: a computer program or character that mimics human actions

Medical Definition

bot

1 of 2 noun

variants also bott

ˈbät 

: the larva of a botfly

especially : one infesting the horse

bot

2 of 2 abbreviation

1

botanical; botanist; botany

2

bottle