PILOTS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

pilots 1 of 2

noun

plural of pilot

as in aviators

one who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft the airline is seeking experienced pilots to fly the new airplane

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pilots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pilot

as in guides

to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed piloted the figure skater through the national championships

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as in steers

to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front the lead rider piloted the rest of the team

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in navigates

to operate or control the course of managed to pilot the plane to safety despite the failure of the left engine

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pilots

Noun

And later this year, once a series of pilots prove successful, Emerald and Nvidia will open the first power-flexible, commercial AI factory, Nvidia’s 96-megawatt Vera Rubin AI Factory Research Center, in Virginia. —

Jordan Blum, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026 Antoine Forest, one of the two pilots killed in the crash at LaGuardia Airport, was a French-speaking Quebecer. —

CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026 The plane's two pilots were killed in the crash. —

CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026 Sheets appear to be covering the front cockpit window, obscuring what would normally be the pilots’ forward view. —

Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026 On March 22, two pilots were killed when an Air Canada Express regional jet carrying 72 passengers and four crew members struck a Port Authority fire truck while landing on Runway 4 at the airport. —

Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 30 Mar. 2026 Moments after an Air Canada jet collided at high speed with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, killing the pilots and hurling a flight attendant from the aircraft, the passengers took their escape into their own hands. —

ABC News, 24 Mar. 2026 The two pilots killed in the collision between a passenger jet and a Port Authority fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport late Sunday night have been identified as Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. —

Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 24 Mar. 2026

Verb

The drones are always recording and equipped with high-quality zoom and thermal cameras as a Cincinnati police officer remotely pilots the drone from the department's command center. —

David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 11 Dec. 2025 When Claire’s adult daughter Channing pilots the idea of going on a ski trip next year and starting her own holiday traditions, Claire completely ices her out and won’t consider it. —

Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 9 Dec. 2025 Maito then pilots one of these robots, called Gaine, and teams up with other mecha to take down the real evil Nouvelle Tokyo City. —

Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 Watch On For each mission simulation, one astronaut pilots the aircraft while another charts the landing area, marking key landmarks, identifying potential hazards and helping to track the flight path. —

Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilots

Noun

Texas’ first Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day was recognized on Thursday at the State Veterans Home named in honor of the first African-American military aviators.

— Kamal Morgan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026
The association said the deaths of the two young aviators have shaken up the industry.

— Philip Marcelo, Chicago Tribune, 26 Mar. 2026