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

Kirby, 58, grew up in a small town outside Dallas, went to the Air Force Academy with dreams of being a fighter pilot and ended up with a much different career involving planes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Hansen, a 50-year-old former fighter pilot on his maiden voyage into space, said he saw "some extraordinary things" during the first hours aboard the Orion.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

But Hansen saw in his compatriot much of what he aspired to be: a fighter pilot and an astronaut.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

That night, in a cottage near the launch pad, a twenty-seven-year-old fighter pilot named Yuri Gagarin lay still in a wooden bunk, pretending to be asleep.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin