navigator
Americannoun
-
a person who navigates.
-
a person who practices, or is skilled in, navigation, as of ships or aircraft.
-
a person who conducts explorations by sea.
-
British. a navvy.
noun
-
a person who is skilled in or performs navigation, esp on a ship or aircraft
-
(esp formerly) a person who explores by ship
-
an instrument or device for assisting a pilot to navigate an aircraft
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of navigator
First recorded in 1580–90, navigator is from the Latin word nāvigātor a sailor, mariner. See navigate, -tor
Explanation
A navigator is the person whose job it is to steer the ship. The navigator plans and charts the course and then points the boat in the right direction. Use the noun navigator when you talk about someone who's in charge of planning a ship's route. Airplanes have navigators too, to direct the course they will take using maps and various instruments. A more old fashioned meaning of navigator is an ocean explorer. In fact, in Latin, navigator simply means "sailor," from navis, "ship," and agere, "drive."
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 recall covers certain Expedition, Navigator, Explorer, Aviator, F-150 models from 2018 to 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
U.S.-listed Blue Owl’s stake in Navigator will fall to 37% from 49%.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Navigator could increase the number of deals it does each year under a strategic partnership formed as part of its latest $195 million acquisition, the Australian alternative investment manager’s CEO said.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Stable will become Navigator’s second-largest investor, with Blue Owl Capital’s stake in Navigator falling to 37% from 49%.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
On April 9, 1944, Chief Navigator Zhenya Rudneva decided to fly the night’s mission over Kerch with Polina Prokofyeva.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
