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

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

Carroll Taylor Wiseman died of cancer in 2020, and Reid Wiseman, a former fighter pilot, has been raising their two daughters on his own since then.

From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026

Behind them will be Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian fighter pilot turned astronaut.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

MIAMI—Before he emerged as the best young pitcher on the planet, Paul Skenes dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 16, 2026

In November 1942, one fighter pilot of the 586th found mice in the cockpit of her Yak-1 while she was flying.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein