chatbot

noun

chat·​bot ˈchat-ˌbät 

plural chatbots

: a bot (see bot entry 1 sense 3) that is designed to converse with human beings

Chatbots … have been around for years, mostly to answer generic questions over the phone or on a website.

—Dalvin Brown

The challenge is to create a chatbot that can converse coherently and engagingly with humans on popular topics for 20 minutes.

—Marc Saltzman

Examples of chatbot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The company set out to develop AI technology including a chatbot that would interact with students and their families to improve classroom attendance and engagement. —Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 26 Feb. 2026

After the company collapsed and furloughed most of its staff, the chatbot was taken offline. —Teresa Liu, Daily News, 25 Feb. 2026

Alberto Carvalho on Wednesday morning in what appears to be a probe related to a company that developed an AI chatbot for the nation’s second-largest school system. —Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026

When asked, the company website’s own AI chatbot will say Austin is the company’s headquarters, GoSecure says. —Paul Flahive, Austin American Statesman, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

chat entry 1 + bot entry 1

First Known Use

1994, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

chatbot

noun

chat·​bot ˈchat-ˌbät 

: a bot that is designed to converse with human beings