aviator
Americannoun
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a pilot of an airplane or other heavier-than-air aircraft.
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aviators, aviator glasses.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of aviator
1885–90; < French aviateur. See aviation ( def. ), -eur ( def. )
Explanation
An aviator is a pilot. Every aircraft you see in the sky has an aviator in it. Aviation is the science that makes airplanes and other vehicles that fly through the air. An aviator is someone who flies one of those vehicles. This is kind of an old-fashioned word: these days, you're much more likely to hear aviators referred to as pilots. Some aviators work for airlines, while others own private planes. Helicopters and blimps have aviators too.
Vocabulary lists containing aviator
July Words
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A Farewell To Arms
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They Both Die at the End
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A few months later, the celebrated aviator Charles Lindbergh made camp in Lebec to test a glider in the mountain drafts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
Naval Academy graduate, former naval aviator, trans activist and author who is now a resident of Canada — about what she is feeling as the holiday approaches.
From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026
In the music video for the title track the singer introduced a tougher rock-and-roll image as he played guitar while clad in aviator sunglasses, ripped blue jeans and the leather La Rocka jacket.
From BBC ● May 1, 2026
He added that that U.S. used subterfuge to mislead the Iranians who were searching for the downed aviator.
From Barron's ● Apr. 6, 2026
I plan on making a squirrel in an aviator cap sitting on a toilet-plane.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
“Army aviators must adhere to strict safety standards, professionalism, and established flight regulations.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
Made with a gold wire, the aviators are crafted in an intricate 279-step process over four months.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Others joked that he was a "cyborg" or emulating Hollywood actor Top Cruise in Top Gun, the 1986 movie that made wearing aviators a fashion statement.
From BBC ● Jan. 20, 2026
Nash said she was "incredibly proud", adding she hoped to "inspire future generations of aviators from all backgrounds".
From BBC ● Jan. 13, 2026
Thousands of rejected volunteers would have been outraged if they’d found out that an exception was being made for aviators.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
