android

IPA/ˈæn.drɔɪd/
KK[ˈændrˌɔɪd]IPA/ˈæn.drɔɪd/

android — noun

  • androidsingular
  • androidsplural

1. a machine built to resemble a person in appearance and behaviour, especially in

1.nounC1
Definition

a machine built to resemble a person in appearance and behaviour, especially in stories or advanced technology

Example

The museum's android blinked, bowed, and welcomed visitors at the entrance.

human-like actions: blink, bow, welcome

In the film, the android cooked dinner and argued like a real person.

Common collocations
  • human-like android
  • singing android
  • android nurse
  • movie android
Synonyms
  • humanoid

    emphasises a human shape; often used in technical or science-fiction contexts

  • robot

    broader term for any programmable machine, whether human-shaped or not

  • automaton

    more formal and old-fashioned, often suggesting stiff mechanical movement

Antonyms
  • human

    a real person rather than a machine made to resemble one

Grammar Patterns

an android

androids

Usage Note

Most common in science fiction and robotics. Use android when the machine is meant to look or act human; otherwise everyday English usually says robot.

Common Mistakes

The factory uses android arms on the line.
The factory uses robotic arms on the line.
'android' usually means a whole human-shaped machine, not just one mechanical part.

2. the main software made by Google for many phones and tablets, controlling the de

2.noun
Definition

the main software made by Google for many phones and tablets, controlling the device and allowing apps to run

Example

Ritu updated Android before the trip so the maps app would work offline.

common pattern: update Android

The bank's new security tool works on Android but not on older phones.

preposition: on Android

Common collocations
  • update Android
  • run Android
  • Android app
  • Android tablet
Synonyms
  • mobile operating system

    general technical term for software that controls a phone or tablet

  • platform

    broader computing term, often used when comparing software ecosystems

Antonyms
  • iOS

    Apple's mobile operating system, commonly contrasted with Android

Grammar Patterns

run Android

update Android

on Android

Usage Note

Usually capitalized because it names the software platform. This sense refers to the system itself, not to the physical phone or tablet in sense 3.

Common Mistakes

I dropped my Android in the sink.
I dropped my Android phone in the sink.
this sense names the software, while the hardware belongs to sense 3.

3. a phone, tablet, or similar device that uses Android instead of Apple's iOS or a

3.noun
Definition

a phone, tablet, or similar device that uses Android instead of Apple's iOS or another system

Example

Cyrus bought an Android because its battery lasted longer than the iPhone's.

common shopping use: buy an Android

At lunch, Mira showed us an Android with a pen built into the case.

Common collocations
  • buy an Android
  • cheap Android
  • cracked Android
  • new Android
Synonyms
  • Android phone

    more explicit everyday phrase when the device is definitely a smartphone

  • Android device

    broader term that can include tablets as well as phones

Antonyms
  • iPhone

    an Apple phone, commonly contrasted with an Android device

Grammar Patterns

an Android

Androids

buy an Android

Usage Note

Common in everyday talk about phones and tablets. With an article, an Android usually means the device, while bare Android more often means the operating system in sense 2.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Android and robot both refer to machines, but android adds the idea of a human appearance or human-like behaviour. Humanoid is close in meaning, though it is more technical and is often used as an adjective in phrases like humanoid robot. Cyborg is different because it describes a living body combined with mechanical parts, not a fully built machine. Automaton is the most formal option and often suggests stiff, old-fashioned mechanical movement rather than advanced modern technology.

robot ↗humanoid ↗cyborg ↗automaton ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • run Android
  • update Android
  • buy an Android

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekEnglishTechnology brand name

Android comes from Greek roots meaning 'man' and 'having the form of'. It first described something shaped like a human, which explains the science-fiction sense for a person-like robot. In modern technology, the word was later adopted as the name of Google's mobile operating system and then extended in everyday speech to devices that use it.

First known use

1736

1736, in the meaning defined above