aviator
Americannoun
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aviators
plural
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a pilot of an airplane or other heavier-than-air aircraft.
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aviators, aviator glasses.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of aviator
1885–90; < French aviateur. See aviation ( def. ), -eur ( def. )
Explanation
An aviator is a pilot. Every aircraft you see in the sky has an aviator in it. Aviation is the science that makes airplanes and other vehicles that fly through the air. An aviator is someone who flies one of those vehicles. This is kind of an old-fashioned word: these days, you're much more likely to hear aviators referred to as pilots. Some aviators work for airlines, while others own private planes. Helicopters and blimps have aviators too.
Vocabulary lists containing aviator
July Words
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A Farewell To Arms
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They Both Die at the End
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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.
See Examples For:
A few months later, the celebrated aviator Charles Lindbergh made camp in Lebec to test a glider in the mountain drafts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
I turned around to see a man dressed as a World War II aviator.
From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2026
In the music video for the title track the singer introduced a tougher rock-and-roll image as he played guitar while clad in aviator sunglasses, ripped blue jeans and the leather La Rocka jacket.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
A year later, American aviator Charles Lindbergh made the first solo, nonstop trans-Atlantic flight aboard the Spirit of St. Louis plane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 7, 2026
She recommended women like Betty Skelton, who had also been through some privately funded astronaut testing, and acquaintances like Jerri Sloan, a Texas aviator who had been in many flying competitions with Jerrie.
From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson
Kush Desai, a White House spokesman, told AFP "Marine One flights are piloted by some of the best aviators in the world, and at no point was the president in harm's way."
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
His missions included rescuing several Naval aviators and one unsuccessful attempt to rescue a Navy deckhand who fell overboard in the middle of the night.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
Their families all paid tribute, while the military described them as "deeply capable and professional aviators" and "cherished members" of the Commando Helicopter Force.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Trump highlighted the successful rescue of two U.S. aviators whose plane was shot down by Iran.
From Barron's ● Apr. 6, 2026
He had issued a call to the most legendary aviators he had known in the Marine Corps, the ones who had combined uncanny abilities as pilots with the personalities of carnival barkers and exhibitionists.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
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.
