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
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
Air Force and traveling the world as a commercial aviator.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 24, 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
“Did you get to wear an aviator hat?”
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
But usually its researchers are looking for a single person or a small crew, such as aviators who went down with their aircraft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 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
The tactical skill with which our aviators and missile defenders are using advanced U.S. tech is astounding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
When the Soviet Union entered World War II in 1941, Marina Raskova took command of a thousand female aviators and trained them to fly in three separate bomber and fighter regiments.
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.
