pilot

play

noun pi·lot \ ˈpī-lət \

Definition of pilot

1 a :one employed to steer a ship :helmsman

b :a person who is qualified and usually licensed to conduct a ship into and out of a port or in specified waters

c :a person who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft

2 :guide, leader

3 :cowcatcher

4 :a piece that guides a tool or machine part

5 :a television show produced and filmed or taped as a sample of a proposed series

6 :pilot light 1

—

pilotless

play \ˈpī-lət-ləs\ adjective

See pilot defined for English-language learners

See pilot defined for kids

Examples of pilot in a Sentence

the airline is seeking experienced pilots to fly the new airplane

Recent Examples of pilot from the Web

Like indie films, indie TV pilots are produced without the support (or money) of a studio or TV network.

— nina metz, chicagotribune.com, "See these Chicago-made indie TV pilots before they go to competition," 30 Aug. 2017
These chipmakers are beginning to order equipment from ASML/Cymer in larger volumes for inclusion in their production lines -- not just for pilot testing.

— mike freeman, sandiegouniontribune.com, "ASML's Cymer Technologies hits milestones to deliver smaller, faster chips," 29 Aug. 2017
And in Baltimore, NIDA investigators are completing a pilot study in cocaine users to prepare for launching a large, controlled trial next year.

— meredith wadman, Science | AAAS, "Brain-altering magnetic pulses could zap cocaine addiction," 29 Aug. 2017
Eastern was founded by celebrated World War I pilot Eddie Rickenbacker, whom Miami’s Rickenbacker Causeway is named after.

— david aaro, miamiherald, "Eastern Air Lines ‘golden days’ archive lands at UM," 25 Aug. 2017
The State Assembly’s Transportation Committee is considering a five-year pilot program that would allow the enforcement devices in San Francisco and San Jose.

— susan carpenter, Los Angeles Magazine, "Inside The Audacious Plan to Eliminate Traffic Deaths in L.A.," 21 Aug. 2017
Our son Brian was one of the pilots in the Hawaii helicopter crash.

— jonece starr dunigan, AL.com, "Man shot in back multiple times in Bibb County homicide," 17 Aug. 2017
Later that afternoon a Virginia State Police helicopter crash killed the pilot and a passenger just outside Charlottesville.

— toriano porter, kansascity, "Protesters near J.C. Nichols Fountain in KC denounce white nationalist rally in Virginia," 12 Aug. 2017
A number of Belgian pilots who had escaped to France were handcuffed and thrown into jail, while several thousand young Belgians undergoing military training in France were imprisoned in their barracks.

— Longreads, "Whose Fault Was Dunkirk?," 7 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of pilot

Middle French pilote, from Italian pilota, alteration of pedota, from Middle Greek *pēdōtēs, from Greek pēda steering oars, plural of pēdon oar; probably akin to Greek pod-, pous foot — more at foot

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

pilot Synonyms

Synonyms

airman, aviator, birdman, flier (also flyer)

Related Words

ace, barnstormer, bush pilot, copilot, flyboy, test pilot; captain, skipper

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

airway, apron, corridor, dirigible, fishtail, flat-hat, vector

pilot

verb

Definition of pilot

transitive verb

1 :to act as a guide to :lead or conduct over a usually difficult course

2 a :to set and conn the course of

pilot a ship

b :to act as pilot of

pilot a plane

See pilot defined for English-language learners

Examples of pilot in a Sentence

He is learning how to pilot a helicopter.
He skillfully piloted the ship into port during the storm.

Recent Examples of pilot from the Web

Of the 45 projects being piloted, three account for about a third of all spending.

— philip marcelo, The Seattle Times, "Experimental defense unit funds new tech but faces skeptics," 10 Aug. 2017
Of the 45 projects being piloted, three account for about a third of all spending.

— Washington Post, "Experimental defense unit funds new tech but faces skeptics," 10 Aug. 2017
Smart Ohio was piloted last year with funding from the state legislature and consists of three components: quality curriculum, teacher training, and student assessments.

— julie heath, Cincinnati.com, "Region's economy: How we all win," 4 Aug. 2017
For more than two years now Donald Trump has has piloted his jet barely above ground level, with half a wing, and a fire in the mess.

— matthew continetti, National Review, "Bonfire of the Insanities," 29 July 2017
Not wanting to lose that lead, many carriers such as AT&T and Verizon are currently racing to pilot next-generation 5G data.

— brian fung, chicagotribune.com, "Why your Wi-Fi feels so slow sometimes," 23 July 2017
But a last ditch effort had British civilians piloting their small vessels through the choppy waters as part of a rescue mission.

— rick bentley, idahostatesman, "Christopher Nolan breaks rules of war movies for ‘Dunkirk’," 20 July 2017
A team of three made 11 exploratory dives on a submarine, Alvin, accompanied by a robotic camera nicknamed Jason Jr. that could be piloted remotely.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "The Story of the First Manned Expedition to the Sunken Wreck of the ‘Titanic’," 18 July 2017
Groups of elementary teachers and students also will pilot devices during upcoming school year.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Plans under way for new year of Chromebook technology in schools," 30 June 2017

First Known Use of pilot

1649

pilot Synonyms

Synonyms

coach, counsel, lead, mentor, guide, shepherd, show, tutor

Antonyms

follow, trail

Related Words

godfather; direct, engineer, steer, sway; accompany, attend, chaperone (or chaperon), convoy, escort, see, squire; oversee, superintend, supervise; drill, train; brief, enlighten, inform; instruct, school, teach, tutor; inculcate, indoctrinate; cultivate, foster, nurture

Near Antonyms

dog, hound, shadow, tail, tailgate

Synonym Discussion of pilot

guide, lead, steer, pilot, engineer mean to direct in a course or show the way to be followed. guide implies intimate knowledge of the way and of all its difficulties and dangers.

- guided the scouts through the cave

lead implies showing the way and often keeping those that follow under control and in order.

- led his team to victory

steer implies an ability to keep to a course and stresses the capacity of maneuvering correctly.

- steered the ship through a narrow channel

pilot suggests guidance over a dangerous or complicated course.

- piloted the bill through the Senate

engineer implies finding ways to avoid or overcome difficulties in achieving an end or carrying out a plan.

- engineered his son's election to the governorship

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

airway, apron, corridor, dirigible, fishtail, flat-hat, vector

pilot

adjective

Definition of pilot

:serving as a guiding or tracing device, an activating or auxiliary unit, or a trial apparatus or operation

a pilot study

See pilot defined for English-language learners

Examples of pilot in a Sentence

The group conducted a pilot program.
a new pilot program to train inner-city residents for jobs in the tech sector

Recent Examples of pilot from the Web

McDonald is one of four family court judges who have volunteered to help with the pilot family drug court project to start in January.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Amid heroin crisis, group raises private donations to restore family drug court," 14 Aug. 2017
Pilot season was slowing way down, and things were pretty quiet at work that week so far.

— vanityfair.com, "Hollywood Manager’s Despicably Sexist E-Mails Leaked," 11 Aug. 2017
Pilot season was slowing way down, and things were pretty quiet at work that week so far.

— julie miller, HWD, "Hollywood Manager’s Despicably Sexist E-Mails Leaked," 11 Aug. 2017
A pilot study for the MINT trial published in the American Heart Journal in June 2013 also suggested that patients were more likely to die from a restrictive approach compared with a liberal one.

— daniel chang, miamiherald, "Clinical trial fails to disclose risk of death, repeat heart attacks, group says," 1 Aug. 2017
Hood unveiled the concept 3 years ago, but a pilot study attempting to back it up has only now appeared.

— ryan cross, Science | AAAS, "‘Scientific wellness’ study—and a famed biologist’s spinoff company—divide researchers," 19 July 2017
Housing agencies in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles have run pilot programs on rehousing former prisoners, including family reunifications.

— simon montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, "How cities are helping former felons get stable housing," 19 July 2017
In China, for example, regulators are part of a pilot project run by IBM and Walmart to make the retailer’s supply network more transparent, for instance by tracing the provenance of pork and organic food.

— The Economist, "If blockchains ran the worldDisrupting the trust business," 13 July 2017
As a result, the city’s Fire Department initiated a pilot lifeguard program that will continue through the Labor Day weekend.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Beach guard program going full blast," 3 July 2017

First Known Use of pilot

1915

pilot Synonyms

Synonyms

developmental, experimental, trial

Related Words

exploratory, investigative, probative; preliminary, preparatory, provisional, temporary, tentative; conjectural, hypothetical, speculative, theoretical (also theoretic); untested, untried; unproved, unproven

Near Antonyms

accepted, established, standard; tested, tried; advanced, developed; proved, proven; conclusive, decisive, definitive, final, permanent

PILOT Defined for English Language Learners

pilot

play

noun

Definition of pilot for English Language Learners

: a person who flies an airplane, helicopter, etc.
: a person who steers or guides a ship into and out of a port or in dangerous waters
: a single television show that is made as a test to see if a television series based on the show would be popular and successful

pilot

verb

Definition of pilot for English Language Learners

: to fly (an airplane, spacecraft, etc.)
: to steer or guide (a ship)

pilot

adjective

Definition of pilot for English Language Learners

: done as a test to see if a larger program, study, etc., should be done

PILOT Defined for Kids

pilot

play

noun pi·lot \ ˈpī-lət \

Definition of pilot for Students

1 :a person who flies an aircraft

2 :a person who steers a ship

3 :a person especially qualified to guide ships into and out of a port or in dangerous waters

pilot

verb

Definition of pilot for Students

piloted; piloting

1 :to fly (an airplane)

2 :to steer or guide (a boat)

Learn More about pilot

See words that rhyme with pilot Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pilot Spanish Central: Translation of pilot Nglish: Translation of pilot for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pilot for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up pilot? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

pilot

Definition of pilot

pilotless

Read the Latest from M-W

Examples of pilot in a Sentence

Recent Examples of pilot from the Web

Origin and Etymology of pilot

pilot Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

pilot

Definition of pilot

Examples of pilot in a Sentence

Recent Examples of pilot from the Web

First Known Use of pilot

pilot Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of pilot

Other Aeronautics/Aerospace Terms

pilot

Definition of pilot

Examples of pilot in a Sentence

Recent Examples of pilot from the Web

First Known Use of pilot

pilot Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

PILOT Defined for English Language Learners

pilot

Definition of pilot for English Language Learners

pilot

Definition of pilot for English Language Learners

pilot

Definition of pilot for English Language Learners

PILOT Defined for Kids

pilot

Definition of pilot for Students

pilot

Definition of pilot for Students

Learn More about pilot

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Words of the Year: 1066