astronaut

American  

[as-truh-nawt, -not] / ˈæs trəˌnɔt, -ˌnɒt /

noun

1. a person engaged in or trained for spaceflight.

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astronaut British  

/ ˈæstrəˌnɔːt /

noun

1. a person trained for travelling in space See also cosmonaut

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astronaut Cultural  

1. A crew member of a space mission launched by the United States. (See Apollo program and Mercury program.)

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Etymology

Origin of astronaut

1925–30; astro- + (aero)naut, probably via French astronaute; astronautical

Compare meaning

How does astronaut compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cosmonaut vs. astronaut

Example Sentences

"I just asked him, like, you know, you worked for so long for SpaceX, do you think that people like me can be astronauts?"

From BBC

As William “Buck” Rogers, Gerard played a 20th century astronaut who had come out of suspended animation 500 years in the future, only to discover a planet in ruins.

From Los Angeles Times

But in order to even transport astronauts to the moon, SpaceX must develop technology that will refuel Starship while in Earth orbit, given how much fuel the gargantuan craft consumes during its launch.

From Los Angeles Times

SpaceX is more than two decades old and has grown into an essential contractor for the U.S. government, launching satellites and astronauts.

From The Wall Street Journal

Few companies exemplify the clubby atmosphere and giant gains missed by everyday investors like the Elon Musk-founded rocket maker, which sends satellites and astronauts into space for the U.S. government.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• cosmonaut
• pilot