astronaut

noun

as·​tro·​naut ˈa-strə-ˌnȯt 

-ˌnät

plural astronauts

: a person whose profession is to travel beyond the earth's atmosphere

NASA on Wednesday introduced the group of astronauts it has chosen for upcoming missions to the moon. The program, called Artemis, aims to send people back to the moon for the first time since the end of NASA's Apollo program in 1972.

—Kenneth Chang

broadly : any person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere

William Shatner, the 90-year-old actor of "Star Trek" fame, endured a 10-minute, rocket-powered ride to the edge of space … . In that moment, at least one thing became certain: Yes, a nonagenarian can be an astronaut.

—Jackie Wattles

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Examples of astronaut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The space agency gifted all astronauts in attendance commemorative gold Speedmasters. —Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 18 Apr. 2024

The tragedy killed seven astronauts as the Columbia shuttle disintegrated upon its return to Earth on February 1, 2003, due to damage the vehicle sustained during launch. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024

Meanwhile, private aerospace companies like Elon Musk's SpaceX are increasingly partnering with NASA on missions that ultimately aim to return American astronauts to the moon. —Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024

After some rescheduling, NASA currently intends to send its Artemis II astronauts on a trip around the moon in late 2025. —Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024

The event featured booths dedicated to the Artemis project, NASA’s plan to take astronauts back to the moon. —Christopher Maag, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024

The seven astronauts on board died after 16 days in orbit. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024

While the United States is the only country to have put astronauts on the moon, others have lunar ambitions. —Reuters, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

At the International Space Station (ISS), astronauts are anticipating a partial view of the solar eclipse from space. —Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

astro- + -naut (in aeronaut)

Note: See note at astronautics.

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

astronaut

noun

as·​tro·​naut ˈas-trə-ˌnȯt 

-nät

: a traveler in a spacecraft

astronautic

ˌas-trə-ˈnȯt-ik

adjective

or astronautical

-i-kəl,

-nät-

Etymology

from astro- "star, heavens" (derived from Greek astron "star") and -naut (derived from Greek nautēs "sailor," from naus "ship") — related to nausea, nautical see Word History at nausea