simulator

American  

[sim-yuh-lay-ter] / ˈsɪm jəˌleɪ tər /

noun

• simulators
  plural

1. a person or thing that simulates.

2. a machine for simulating certain environmental and other conditions for purposes of training or experimentation.

   a flight simulator.

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simulator British  

/ ˈsɪmjʊˌleɪtə /

noun

1. any device or system that simulates specific conditions or the characteristics of a real process or machine for the purposes of research or operator training

   space simulator

2. a person who simulates

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Usage

What does simulator mean? A simulator is a program or machine that simulates a real-life situation, meaning that it creates a virtual version of it, often for the purpose of instruction or experiment, such as a flight simulator. Simulators are frequently used to train people in complicated and often dangerous tasks, such as performing surgery or flying an airplane. Simulators allow them to learn and gain experience in such tasks without the risks. Rarely, the word is also sometimes used to refer to a person who is simulating (faking) an action. Example: This flight simulator allows pilots to become comfortable with the controls without having to do so during an actual flight.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• simulators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of simulator

First recorded in 1825–35, simulator is from the Latin word simulātor imitator, counterfeiter. See simulate, -tor

Explanation

A machine that creates the realistic sensation that you're operating a vehicle is a simulator. Pilots practice flying planes using simulators long before they take the controls of a jumbo jet. You can think of a simulator as a device that mimics or simulates an experience, usually making it feel so real that you'd swear you were driving a car or flying an airplane. Many simulators are used in training people to operate vehicles or machinery, while others help teach medical students how to perform surgery, inject medication, and insert breathing tubes. In Latin, simulator means "copier or feigner," from the root similis, "resembling."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

simulator simulators

He started his career at SpiceJet, said Captain Gurucharan Arora, former director of flight operations at the low-cost Indian carrier, who remembers supervising him on a simulator.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

The 19-year-old, sporting a budding beard, usually operates from home, filling lulls by watching the TV show Criminal Minds or honing his drone-flying skills on a simulator.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

And as the trailer for the latest instalment of the annual football simulator dropped this week, one new addition drew a lot of attention.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Similar to the suited "Moonikin" manikin flown aboard Orion during the uncrewed Artemis I mission, the low-fidelity simulator will send back real-time information about conditions inside the Blue Moon cabin.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 23, 2026

Nothing would go wrong in flight, we hoped, but if it did, the simulator should have prepared them well to do the right thing in any emergency.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

In a study published in Nature, researchers carried out the first experiments of their kind on two different conformal field theories using quantum simulators.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

One way that new players get involved in golf is through golf simulators or venues like Topgolf, which provide a low-stakes way to get introduced to the sport.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

These studies are small, old and were conducted with aircraft simulators rather than modern airliners.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

From "heatwave simulators" to ecological bootcamps, scientists and conservationists are trying ways to revive and reinforce the famous coral reefs off Japan's Okinawa, decimated by climate-driven bleaching two summers ago.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

At other times, Neil and Buzz got into the lunar-module simulators and I stayed by myself in the command-module simulator.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins