Definition of astronaut
: a person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere; also : a trainee for spaceflight
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Recent Examples of astronaut from the Web
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Until SpaceX and Boeing start transporting crews, astronauts will continue to ride Russian rockets.
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NASA is particularly interested in the health of the astronauts, often using animals as stand-ins for people.
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A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying two astronauts to Earth after a half-year aboard the International Space Station has landed.
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Additionally, solar storms can disrupt communications and GPS satellites and could threaten astronauts with radiation.
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NASA has embarked on many successful missions—from rocketing astronauts to the moon to launching the first spacecraft to reach interstellar space.
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Ary still owns a handful of space artifacts, the most valued of which are tiny American flags flown beyond the atmosphere and given to him by astronauts.
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Now he's accused of failing to treat the astronaut and senator's remains with respect and dignity.
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The backup MDM is functioning properly and the astronauts are in no immediate danger, but until the new system is installed there will be no redundancy for a number of computer control systems on board the station.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'astronaut'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of astronaut
astr- + -naut (as in aeronaut)
ASTRONAUT Defined for English Language Learners
astronaut
playDefinition of astronaut for English Language Learners
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: a person who travels in a spacecraft into outer space
ASTRONAUT Defined for Kids
astronaut
playDefinition of astronaut for Students
: a person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere : a traveler in a spacecraft
Learn More about astronaut
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See words that rhyme with astronaut Spanish Central: Translation of astronaut Nglish: Translation of astronaut for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of astronaut for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about astronaut
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