bot

Everyday

1. A bot is a computer program that does tasks by itself, often pretending to be a person, such as answering messages or playing in games. tree →
2. A bot is sometimes short for robot. tree →

In the lessons

In computing and online safety lessons, pupils learn that chatbots answer questions, some game players are bots, and some social media accounts are bots that spread fake news or scams. Phrases: chatbot, a bot account, talk to a bot.

Examples

• The website has a bot that answers questions. tree →
• I played against a bot in the game. tree →
• Some accounts online are bots, not real people. tree →
• The chatbot helped me find my parcel. tree →
• Bots can send lots of spam messages. tree →
• Our class built a little robot bot that follows a line. tree →
• Be careful: a friendly message online might come from a bot. tree →

Note

Countable: a bot, bots. Short for robot. Online safety: a bot can sound like a real person; never share personal information or click links from unknown accounts, and tell a grown-up if something seems strange.