cosmonaut

noun cos·mo·naut \ ˈkäz-mə-ˌnȯt , -ˌnät \

|Updated on: 13 Jul 2018

Definition of cosmonaut

: an astronaut of the Soviet or Russian space program

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Recent Examples of cosmonaut from the Web

The Soviet Union, on the other hand, had a woman — Valentina Tereshkova — as its sixth cosmonaut 20 years ago.

— sandiegouniontribune.com, "June 19, 1983: Ride, Sally Ride," 19 June 2018
The Plain Dealer devoted a number of stories to the Soviet cosmonaut, detailing his 108-minute voyage and also his humble upbringing.

— john petkovic, cleveland.com, "Yuri Gagarin, first man in space, still celebrated 57 years later (photos)," 12 Apr. 2018
In addition gazing at our tiny blue orb from a dizzying altitude of 250 miles, space tourists will have an opportunity for space walks accompanied by a professional cosmonaut.

— anatoly zak, Popular Mechanics, "Russia's Plan To Build a Luxury Hotel on the ISS," 21 Dec. 2017
In June 1963, Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova orbited Earth 48 times. NASA's Virtual Reality lab at the Johnson Space Center where astronauts come to train for EVA, Extravehicular activities.

— alex stuckey, Houston Chronicle, "Three of NASA's first female astronaut recruits speaking at Space Center Houston this week," 25 June 2018
Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Oleg Artemyev bring an official 2018 World Cup soccer ball on board the International Space Station to practice the world's game.

— jim reineking, USA TODAY, "FIFA World Cup: Top 10 best moments in tournament history," 8 June 2018
Feustel and fellow American astronaut Rick Arnold and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev aboard the Soyuz MS-08 were launched 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, according to WDIV-TV.

— aleanna siacon, Indianapolis Star, "Purdue astronaut Andrew Feustel among NASA crew heading to International Space Station," 21 Mar. 2018
Loving portraits of Soviet cosmonaut dogs lined one of the galleries.

— tony perrottet, WSJ, "Surreal Los Angeles: Touring the City’s Strangest Museums," 18 Apr. 2018
In 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to fly in space, orbiting the Earth once before landing.

— BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 12 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cosmonaut.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.