aviator

noun

avi·​a·​tor ˈā-vē-ˌā-tər  ˈa- 

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

Synonyms of aviator

• pilot

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

Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2026

Klum wore the same ensemble but swapped her aviators for rectangular brown frames. —Christina Perrier, InStyle, 5 Jan. 2026

While an undergraduate, Renfrow Smith met Amelia Earhart during one of the famed aviator’s visits to campus. —Nick El Hajj, Des Moines Register, 5 Jan. 2026

While at Grinnell, Smith met Amelia Earhart when the famed aviator visited the campus. —Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing aviator

• aviator glasses
• aviator sunglasses

Rhymes for aviator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• calculator

Kids Definition

aviator

noun

avi·​a·​tor ˈā-vē-ˌāt-ər  ˈav-ē- 

: pilot entry 1 sense 3