aviator

noun

avi·​a·​tor ˈā-vē-ˌā-tər How to pronounce aviator (audio) ˈa- How to pronounce aviator (audio)
plural aviators
1
: the operator or pilot of an aircraft and especially an airplane
2
aviators plural : aviator glasses
The heat had begun to settle in, and as she hit the sidewalk, she slipped on her new sunglasses, a trendy pair of aviators.Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Examples of aviator in a Sentence

the solo flight from New York to Paris by the aviator Charles Lindbergh captured the imagination of people around the world
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The San Diego native was a Navy pilot, receiving his aviator wings in December 1975. Elizabeth Marie Himchak, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025 The government responded by establishing a new facility in California and selecting the site under a committee chaired by aviator Charles Lindbergh. Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2025 Elsewhere, the Lisbon festival will screen Fernando Vendrell’s Alem do Horizonte – A Travessia (Beyond the Horizon – The Crossing), which recalls early 20th-century Portuguese aeronauts Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho as the first aviators to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a single leg. Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025 Halfway between Australia and Hawaii, Nikumaroro plays a key role in one of two rival hypotheses that seek to explain what happened to the famed aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, who went missing in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world. Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for aviator

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of aviator was in 1868

Cite this Entry

“Aviator.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aviator. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

aviator

noun
avi·​a·​tor ˈā-vē-ˌāt-ər How to pronounce aviator (audio) ˈav-ē- How to pronounce aviator (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on aviator

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