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Synonyms

aviator

American  
[ey-vee-ey-ter, av-ee-] / ˈeɪ viˌeɪ tər, ˈæv i- /

noun

  1. a pilot of an airplane or other heavier-than-air aircraft.

  2. aviators, aviator glasses.

aviator British  
/ ˈeɪvɪˌeɪtə /

noun

  1. old-fashioned the pilot of an aeroplane or airship; flyer

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • aviatrix noun

Etymology

Origin of aviator

1885–90; < French aviateur. See aviation ( def. ), -eur ( def. )

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.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday squared up to Trump in flashy aviator sunglasses -- which his team said were due to a burst eye blood vessel, saying his country did not like "bullies".

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

The French leader wore a striking pair of blue reflective aviator sunglasses indoors while addressing world leaders at the World Economic Forum.

From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026

The practice lasted until 1932, when a 22-year-old student aviator spotted a drifting cat-shaped balloon and tried to capture it with her biplane.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

She and Grant agreed on his backstory as an academic whose heyday was in the ’80s, when double denim and aviator glasses were in vogue.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2024

The man with the aviator sunglasses stared for a moment.

From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.