aviator
Americannoun
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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:
Naval Academy graduate, former naval aviator, trans activist and author who is now a resident of Canada — about what she is feeling as the holiday approaches.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 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
He added that that U.S. used subterfuge to mislead the Iranians who were searching for the downed aviator.
From Barron's ● Apr. 6, 2026
For nearly two days, injured and alone, a U.S. aviator hid in a remote mountain crevice as Iranian forces and militias closed in on him with helicopters and drones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
She bowed to the aviator and disappeared into smoke.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
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
Over the past decade, flight hours for new aviators have declined from more than 200 to 150 a year, attempting to get pilots to operational units earlier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 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
But mostly there was a kind of reflexive professionalism and an uncommon immersion of the aviators into philosophical speculation.
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.
