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
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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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birdman
Noun
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The lawsuit was filed by Nicole Biffle, the ex-wife of Greg Biffle, on behalf of their daughter, Emma, against the estate of the pilot, Dennis Dutton, and her ex-husband on May 13 in Iredell County Superior Court.—
Jeff A. Chamer
May 29,
Charlotte Observer,
29 May 2026
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The jet released the unpowered spaceplane, and its two pilots steered Unity to a runway landing at Spaceport America.—
Stephen Clark,
ArsTechnica,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Hyatt Regency Lake Washington Budding aviators, plane geeks and those looking for any type of airport job can get a sneak peek without even booking an airline ticket.—
Ramsey Qubein,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
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Axiom Space’s Director of Human Spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the mission commander with aviator John Shoffner as pilot and two mission specialist seats paid for by the Saudi Space Commission, Rayyanah Barnawi and Ali AlQarni.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Birdman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birdman. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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