astronaut

noun

as·tro·naut | \ ˈa-strə-ˌnȯt

How to pronounce astronaut (audio)

, -ˌnät \

Definition of astronaut

: a person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere also : a trainee for spaceflight

Examples of astronaut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web There were 8,000 applicants and Hughes-Fulford made it to the final 20 before Sally Ride was selected to be the first female astronaut, aboard the Challenger in June, 1983. — Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, "Millie Hughes-Fulford, astronaut and UCSF scientist, dies at 75," 5 Feb. 2021 Stibbe, a former fighter pilot, was a close friend of Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who died aboard space shuttle Columbia in 2003. — Marcia Dunn, orlandosentinel.com, "World’s space achievements a bright spot in stressful 2020," 16 Dec. 2020 About 20 years later, Sally Ride was the first woman in space — and the first gay astronaut. — Jo Yurcaba, Woman's Day, "21 Women's History Month Facts," 12 Jan. 2021 Jonny Kim, who served overseas as a Navy SEAL and graduated from Harvard Medical School, became NASA's first Korean-American astronaut at just 35 years old. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, "Amid a turbulent 2020, here are historic firsts you may have missed," 10 Dec. 2020 The probe, launched Nov. 24 from the tropical island of Hainan, is the latest venture by a space program that sent China’s first astronaut into orbit in 2003. — NBC News, "China spacecraft collects moon samples to take back to Earth," 2 Dec. 2020 The probe, launched Nov. 24 from the tropical island of Hainan, is the latest venture by a space program that sent China’s first astronaut into orbit in 2003. — Joe Mcdonald, Anchorage Daily News, "China spacecraft collects moon surface samples to bring back to Earth," 2 Dec. 2020 The first astronaut to trade his spacecraft couch for a seat in Congress was John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth. — Robert Z. Pearlman, Scientific American, "Mark Kelly Becomes 4th Astronaut Elected to Congress," 6 Nov. 2020 Michael Lopez-Alegria, an ex-NASA astronaut and former president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, will accompany Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe and two other paying customers to the space station. — Marcia Dunn, orlandosentinel.com, "World’s space achievements a bright spot in stressful 2020," 16 Dec. 2020

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.

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Dictionary Entries near astronaut

astrometeorology

astronavigation

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Last Updated

16 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Astronaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astronaut. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for astronaut

astronaut

noun

English Language Learners Definition of astronaut

: a person who travels in a spacecraft into outer space

See the full definition for astronaut in the English Language Learners Dictionary

astronaut

noun

as·tro·naut | \ ˈa-strə-ˌnȯt

\

Kids Definition of astronaut

: a person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere : a traveler in a spacecraft

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