fighter pilot

American  

[fahy-ter pahy-luht] / ˈfaɪ tər ˌpaɪ lət /

noun

Military.

1. a pilot trained to fly aircraft classified as fighters and to engage in aerial combat.

   The last surviving member of this celebrated squadron of fighter pilots has died, at age 92.

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Etymology

Origin of fighter pilot

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fighter pilot

She sat between her older brother, Camron, a retired fighter pilot, and her sister, Annie.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Air Force colonel with more than 27 years of experience as an instructor pilot, fighter pilot, and test pilot.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 11, 2026

Did he share a fake video of himself as a fighter pilot dumping human waste on No Kings protesters?

From Salon ● May 24, 2026

Tom Vo was born in Vietnam, served as a fighter pilot for the Army of the Republic of Vietnam and moved to Southern California as a refugee after the Vietnam War.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026

“The reason I don’t believe that fighter pilot stuff, Mom,” Ben said, pouring the coffee back into the pot, “is that I remember Major Finch.”

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy