pilot

American  

[pahy-luht] / ˈpaɪ lət /

noun

• pilots
  plural

1. a person duly qualified to steer ships into or out of a harbor or through certain difficult waters.

2. a person who steers a ship.

   Synonyms:

   helmsperson

3. Aeronautics. a person duly qualified to operate an airplane, balloon, or other aircraft.

4. a guide or leader.

   the pilot of the expedition.

5. coast pilot.

6. pilot light.

7. Machinery. a guide for centering or otherwise positioning two adjacent parts, often consisting of a projection on one part fitting into a recess in the other.

8. Railroads. cowcatcher.

9. Also called pilot film, pilot tape. Television. a prototypical filmed or taped feature, produced with hopes of network adoption as a television series and aired to test potential viewer interest and attract sponsors.

10. a preliminary or experimental trial or test.

    The school will offer a pilot of its new computer course.

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verb (used with object)

• pilots,
  present (3rd person singular)
• piloted,
  past participle,  past
• piloting
  present participle

1. to steer.

2. to lead, guide, or conduct, as through unknown places, intricate affairs, etc.

3. to act as pilot on, in, or over.

   Synonyms:

   manage, maneuver

4. to be in charge of or responsible for.

   We're looking for someone to pilot the new project.

adjective

1. serving as an experimental or trial undertaking prior to full-scale operation or use.

   a pilot project.

pilot British  

/ ˈpaɪlət /

noun

1. 1. a person who is qualified to operate an aircraft or spacecraft in flight

   2. ( as modifier )

      pilot error

2. 1. a person who is qualified to steer or guide a ship into or out of a port, river mouth, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pilot ship

3. a person who steers a ship

4. a person who acts as a leader or guide

5. machinery a guide, often consisting of a tongue or dowel, used to assist in joining two mating parts together

6. machinery a plug gauge for measuring an internal diameter

7. films a colour test strip accompanying black-and-white rushes from colour originals

8. an experimental programme on radio or television

9. See pilot film

10. (modifier) used in or serving as a test or trial

    a pilot project

11. (modifier) serving as a guide

    a pilot beacon

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verb

1. to act as pilot of

2. to control the course of

3. to guide or lead (a project, people, etc)

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unpiloted
  adjective
• well-piloted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pilots
  plural

Participles

• piloting
  present
• piloted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pilot
  simple
• pilots
  simple
• have piloted
  perfect
• has piloted
  perfect
• am piloting
  progressive
• are piloting
  progressive
• is piloting
  progressive
• have been piloting
  perfect progressive
• has been piloting
  perfect progressive

Past

• piloted
  simple
• had piloted
  perfect
• was piloting
  progressive
• were piloting
  progressive
• had been piloting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pilot
  simple
• will have piloted
  perfect
• will be piloting
  progressive
• will have been piloting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pilot

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier pylotte, from Middle French pillotte, from Italian pilota, dissimilated variant of pedota, from unattested Medieval Greek pēdṓtēs “steersman,” equivalent to pēd(á) “rudder” (plural of pēdón “oar”) + -ōtēs agent suffix

Explanation

A pilot leads the way. An aircraft pilot flies a plane, and a maritime pilot steers a ship. Also, to pilot is to guide to safety, like to navigate a ship out of a harbor or through a sea of zombies. Pilot comes from the Greek pēdon meaning "oar." Like an oar that steers a ship, a pilot steers or directs a plane. A pilot can also be a model or basis for others of its kind. A school might launch a pilot breakfast program for a few students before introducing it to the whole school. The pilot episode of a TV show is like a test program produced to determine viewer interest before making a whole season.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pilot pilots piloted piloting

For PPPL, this work is part of a broader effort to address the scientific and technological challenges that must be overcome before commercial fusion power becomes possible, including the development of future fusion pilot plants.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

It is 06:00 and I'm meeting drone pilot Pete Short for a dawn patrol in the Cairngorms National Park.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

The Royal Household has said she is an experienced pilot, having logged about 1,188 hours across several types of aircraft since she began flying in 2010.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

An off-duty pilot travelling on the plane was then able to take the controls and land the aircraft safely in Saudi Arabia.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

The pilot was still worried that she was going to jump out the window.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Israeli aviation regulations also state that pilots who are citizens of countries without formal diplomatic relations with Israel, like Oman, are not permitted to operate flights to the country.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

At the height of the emergency, five experienced drone pilots were brought together to provide aerial information to the agencies fighting the fire.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Plus, rogue pilots are now one of the biggest threats to airline safety—and the race is on for next summer’s $50,000 internships.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

The pilots, a team of champion drone pilots based in Austin, have “Top Gun”-style nicknames like “Amari” and “Proximo.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Before every takeoff, pilots did two hours of “pre-breathing”—breathing in pure oxygen to eliminate nitrogen from the blood.

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

A teenager who piloted a dinghy carrying a then-record 165 migrants across the English Channel to the UK has pleaded guilty to endangering others during a sea crossing.

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

Looking out to 2030, viability "remains extremely limited and mainly only concerns raw materials", Eve Barre, an economist who piloted the Coface study, said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Kometer said it should be a tarmac rally stage while professional stunt driver and Long Beach local Sarah Fairfield, who piloted the second ’26 MX-5 on this trip, equated it to a roller coaster.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Though the drone could be piloted through the screen, the goggles are “smoother and it’s just a more efficient way to use the drone,” said Silden, the pilot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Several staged sets of chutes deployed automatically to slow our descent, then Martinez manually piloted us to the ground, using the thrusters to slow descent and control our lateral motion.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

A man has been jailed for 18 months for piloting a small boat carrying 26 other people, including six children, towards the Kent coast.

From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026

Operators once steering 40-ton bulldozers over the tough, trash-filled terrain of the Marana Regional Landfill near Tucson, Ariz., are now remotely piloting a Caterpillar with a joystick hundreds of yards away.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

“He was flying to Los Angeles that day, piloting a 767. He called and told me to turn on the TV — ‘You won’t believe what is going on in New York.‘”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Many of these policies will be things that we're piloting for one year, two years, to see what impact it has," he said.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

I look over at the cockpit, grateful there are chairs for me and Javier, so I don’t have to stand while piloting the five of us to the surface.

From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera

Related Words

• aviator
• captain
• flier
• leader
• navigator