Definitions

pilot

[pahy-luht] / ˈpaɪ lət /

NOUN

person who guides aircraft, ship, or other vehicle

Synonyms

STRONGEST

aviator captain flier leader navigator

STRONG

ace aerialist aeronaut bellwether conductor coxswain dean director eagle flyer guide jockey lead scout steerer

WEAK

doyen/doyenne helmsperson one at the controls one at the wheel steersperson wheelperson

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The report then says: "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cutoff. The other pilot responded that he did not do so."

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano will represent the European Space Agency as the voyage's pilot, becoming the first European to join one of the program's missions.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

The pilot was able to bring the two-seat aircraft down into the water quickly so the crew could escape, the official said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026

Nevertheless, safety campaigners in India and the US, along with the FIP, have pushed back vigorously against the pilot suicide theory.

From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026

And lately he'd been thinking about airplane pilot.

From "All About Sam" by Lois Lowry

Vocabulary lists containing pilot

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This Week in Words: September 1 - 7, 2018

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Occupations

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