BOT

What Does BOT Mean in a Text?

Gaming Slang for Newbies

If you're new to gaming, then there is more to learn than just a game's moves and strategy. Gamers should also be familiar with gaming slang, which has around 200 terms in common usage, many of which are difficult for new players to guess. But, you should persevere. Understanding gaming jargon improves collaboration by helping gamers to convey complex strategies, emotions, and actions quickly. Here is the term you care about:

BOT means "Robot" and "Back On Topic."

Robot

Bot is a contraction of the word robot. In computing, a bot is a software program that can execute commands or perform routine tasks, such as answer messages or carry out searches, either automatically or with minimal human intervention. In gaming, it refers to a robot player, i.e., an NPC (Non-Player Character) controlled by the game. For example:

I tried to find out if there are still tickets available, but I couldn't get past the customer service bot.
Have you seen the things the Russian bots are posting on Twitter?
The bots at this level are really mean! I can't find any way to get past them.

Back On Topic

BOT is also an abbreviation, used in messaging with the meaning "Back On Topic." In this context, BOT indicates that the sender wishes to return to the point of the conversation. For example:

Ali: Have you been paid yet?
Sam: I bumped into Sally this morning. She was asking about you.
Ali: That's lovely. BOT, have you got the money you owe me?

Image for BOT

When I write BOT, I mean this:

"Player"

Summary of Key Points

We have summarized the key points in the table below:

BOT
Definition:	Player
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	2: Quite easy to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

"Back On Topic" is another definition for BOT.

BOT
Definition:	Back On Topic
Type:	Abbreviation
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults and Teenagers

An Academic Look at BOT

When used as an abbreviation of "robot," bot is a contraction. Some contractions, like bot, use letters of the fully expanded word in sequence. Other contractions, like Dr, use letters from the start and end of the fully expanded version. Contractions can also be formed by replacing a letter or letters with an apostrophe (e.g., can't). When used with the meaning "Back on Topic," BOT is an initialism abbreviation. Technically, this means it is pronounced using its individual letters (i.e., Bee Oh Tee). However, it is not often said using its letters.