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

A former Mig-29 fighter pilot and commander-in-chief of the Bulgarian Air Force, his victory is impressive by Bulgarian standards, but does not give Progressive Bulgaria a strong enough mandate to govern alone.

From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026

Hansen, who joined the CSA in 2009 following his career as a fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force, will be the first non-American to fly around the Moon.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

The Luftwaffe night fighter pilot Josef Kociok himself was killed in air combat eight weeks later.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein