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copilot

An AI assistant embedded in a tool you already use — GitHub Copilot in your IDE, Microsoft Copilot in Office.

ˈkoʊ.paɪ.lətCoined ~20212020sGen AlphatrendingCurrent241 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
⚡ Tech, Dev & AI
4 definitions
Community
Seen in the wild
4 citations · last seen May 2026

Etymology timeline

Born ~2021 · 1 year of recorded use
2021Born2026: 4 citationsToday, 2026

Seen in the wild

Definitions

Global
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#1·Apr 24, 2026Global

An AI assistant embedded in a tool you already use — GitHub Copilot in your IDE, Microsoft Copilot in Office. The assistive, non-agentic cousin of modern AI agents.

"Copilot writes maybe 30% of my code these days."
Origin: Term popularized by GitHub Copilot's 2021 launch.
For parents

'Copilot' in current youth usage usually refers to AI coding assistants — most famously Microsoft/GitHub's Copilot, but the term has broadened to any AI assistant that helps with a task. 'Vibe coding with Copilot' is a common phrase for using AI to write code. If your teen uses it, they are engaging with modern AI tools. Useful vocabulary for anyone interested in tech careers.

For ESL learners

'Copilot' in current AI/tech context refers to AI assistants that help complete tasks — most famously Microsoft/GitHub Copilot for coding, with the term now broadly applied to any AI assistant operating alongside a human (writing, designing, customer support). Register: informal-to-semi-formal, tech industry. In formal writing capitalise when referring to specific products (GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot); lowercase for generic AI-assistant sense. A common learner mistake is to read it only as the aviation term; in tech the AI-assistant sense is now dominant.

Cluster: ai_specific
Heard in the wild
  • “Microsoft Reverses Copilot Commit Attribution in VS Code According to The Register, VS Code's Git extension was modified to append a Co-authored-by: Copilot trailer to commits generated with... #GitHubCopilot”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Copiwaifu: A Live2D Desktop Pet That Syncs with Claude Code, Codex, Copilot, and More http://www.echojs.com/news/43323 #JavaScript”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Power Platform Weekly #262 is out! Content from Zsolt Zombik, Sailaja Mantripragada, Riccardo Gregori and many more! www.ppweekly.com/p/power-plat... #PowerPlatform #PowerAutomate #PowerPages #PowerApps #CopilotStudio #Copilot #MicrosoftCopilot”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Rate my Desktop I really dont really like light mode: so i present to you: drum roll Dark Aero for Windows 11 25h2 Using the following softwarez it is possible: StartAlBack - Windows 7 Classic Stardock windowblinds - Aero11 Startdock Icon Packager - windows vista Stardock SoundPackager - Windows 7 Scheme Explorer since a latest win update broke thy theme. BTW Max is way better than Copilot!”

    — r/GenAlpha· May 2026
  • “As of April 2025, the Microsoft 365 app is now called Microsoft 365 Copilot.”

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Show 3 more dictionary-style senses (imported)
Global
#2·May 2, 2026Global

An assistant, especially one that uses artificial intelligence.

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Global
#3·May 2, 2026Global

To serve as relief or assistant pilot.

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Global
#4·May 2, 2026Global

A backup or assistant pilot of an aircraft.

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For specific readers

'Copilot' in current youth usage usually refers to AI coding assistants — most famously Microsoft/GitHub's Copilot, but the term has broadened to any AI assistant that helps with a task. 'Vibe coding with Copilot' is a common phrase for using AI to write code. If your teen uses it, they are engaging with modern AI tools. Useful vocabulary for anyone interested in tech careers.

Why is this section here?

Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.

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⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang

The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.

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