Definition of pilot
1a : one employed to steer a ship : helmsmanb : a person who is qualified and usually licensed to conduct a ship into and out of a port or in specified watersc : a person who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft
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
From the M-W Editors
Examples of pilot in a Sentence
the airline is seeking experienced pilots to fly the new airplane
Recent Examples of pilot from the Web
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This year’s cuts, which delay equipment purchases, look wrong-headed: the armed forces lack, for example, fighter planes for training pilots, says Fabrice Pothier, of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think-tank.
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Last month, Southern Company, a major electric utility, stopped construction of a pilot carbon capture coal plant in Mississippi that was running three years behind schedule and $4 billion over budget.
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The actor, an experienced pilot, realized his mistake immediately and was not punished by the FAA.
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SNPL union has put Air France’s latest proposal for pilots, which includes the plan for the new airline, to its members.
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Infantrymen typically serve nine- to 12-month combat tours; pilots deploy for four months.
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Major client Virgin Galactic lost a test pilot in a crash that set its plan to fly space tourists.
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The NTSB concluded that the pilots were at fault for the crash. _
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Some pilots cheered the decision, as did the National Business Aviation Association.
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
pilot
Definition of pilot
transitive verb
1 : to act as a guide to : lead or conduct over a usually difficult course
2a : to set and conn the course of pilot a shipb : to act as pilot of pilot a plane
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
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The St. Ambrose recruit piloted the offense with 934 assists and 40 aces, becoming the unquestioned leader in his first and final year with the Griffins.
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TEHRAN — Saudi Arabia said on Monday that its navy had seized three members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards piloting a boat loaded with explosives toward a Saudi offshore oil drilling rig.
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According to Sheriff Dan Starry, a homeowner on the lake saw the accident and immediately piloted his pontoon boat to the scene.
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Cristopher Goods, 10, right, offers congratulations to Southwest Airlines captain Louis Freeman before Freeman piloted his last flight for the airline before his retirement in Dallas, Thursday, June 8, 2017.
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The four-engine bomber bristling with .50-caliber machine guns was piloted by then-Lt.
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The plane was being piloted by Ulrich, according to the Daily News.
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To give people a basic primer on both piloting drones and staying within federal guidelines for using the gadgets, Johnson County Community College has been offering a one-day basic course, Introduction to UAV Drones.
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Tomsheck began to pilot the polygraph on CBP applicants.
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.
First Known Use of pilot
1649
Synonym Discussion of pilot
pilot
Definition of pilot
: serving as a guiding or tracing device, an activating or auxiliary unit, or a trial apparatus or operation a pilot study
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
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The video shows how the pilot program works: With a pet yeti — a Tibetan term for an abominable snowman — your valuables are always protected.
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Towering over the rails just off Tianjin’s waterfront, massive orange cranes load containers onto freight trains that will make the two-week trip from the pilot economic zone across Asia.
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Outcomes of those pilot programs included fewer fights in the ward, fewer requests for medications, and fewer medical complaints.
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A pilot study of seven of sites, including San Onofre, would take 39 months and cost $8 million, the NAS said, and those results would not necessarily extrapolate out to America’s other 60-or-so nuclear sites.
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.
First Known Use of pilot
1915
PILOT Defined for English Language Learners
pilot
playDefinition of pilot for English Language Learners
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: a person who flies an airplane, helicopter, etc.
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: a person who steers or guides a ship into and out of a port or in dangerous waters
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: 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
Definition of pilot for English Language Learners
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: to fly (an airplane, spacecraft, etc.)
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: to steer or guide (a ship)
pilot
Definition of pilot for English Language Learners
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: done as a test to see if a larger program, study, etc., should be done
PILOT Defined for Kids
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
Definition of pilot for Students
piloted
;piloting
1 : to fly (an airplane)
2 : to steer or guide (a boat)
Learn More about pilot
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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
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