as in pilot
one who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft in the early days of aviation, birdmen would travel around the country in their biplanes, putting on flying shows

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 birdman But until then, at least Sandberg has another insane world — including an acid-defecating birdman — to keep him busy. Alex Ritman, Variety, 27 May 2025 Being a Zimmerman show, the dragons, birdmen, and creatures and complications that pop up will be a wonder to behold. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2024 Being a Zimmerman show, the dragons, birdmen, and creatures and complications that pop up will be a wonder to behold. Randy McMullen, The Mercury News, 17 Oct. 2024 Nearby is an ancient copper plate of a birdman displayed as an example of creativity. Peggy McGlone, Washington Post, 27 July 2022 Ingmar Bergman’s 1975 take with a young Håkan Hagegård as birdman Papageno. Peter Dobrin, Philly.com, 16 Sep. 2017 Wingsuit flying, which relies on the use of a specialized jumpsuit often referred to as a wingsuit, squirrel suit or birdman suit, is one of the most extreme forms of BASE jumping, an acronym for leaping from a building, antenna, span or Earth. CBS News, 26 May 2017 Wingsuit flying, which relies on the use of a specialized jumpsuit often referred to as a wingsuit, squirrel suit or birdman suit, is one of the most extreme forms of BASE jumping, an acronym for leaping from a building, antenna, span or Earth. CBS News, 26 May 2017 Wingsuit flying, which relies on the use of a specialized jumpsuit often referred to as a wingsuit, squirrel suit or birdman suit, is one of the most extreme forms of BASE jumping, an acronym for leaping from a building, antenna, span or Earth. CBS News, 26 May 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birdman
Noun
  • The young pilot, Ethan Guo, set out in his small plane to become the youngest person to fly solo across the world.
    Ashley J. DiMella, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • One real-world example is Toronto’s Peak Drive pilot.
    Carlos Georgescu, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The airline will also downgrade 140 pilots from captain to first officer, according to a note to aviators from the Air Line Pilots Association, their union.
    Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 28 July 2025
  • More than 380 aviators died in training to fly the aircraft, and even more died flying it in combat.
    Lillian Ali, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Birdman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birdman. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.

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