as in aviator
one who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft
the airline is seeking experienced pilots to fly the new airplane
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in experimental
made or done as an experiment
a new pilot program to train inner-city residents for jobs in the tech sector
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to guide
to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed
piloted the figure skater through the national championships
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to steer
to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front
the lead rider piloted the rest of the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pilot
Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Both pilots survived the crash.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
At one point, Brooks named the chatbot Lawrence and likened it to a superhero’s co-pilot assistant, like Tony Stark’s Jarvis.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Jeff Banowetz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The young women are all cousins, and David — who was piloting the private aircraft — is their uncle, according to a relative’s Facebook post, viewed by PEOPLE.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pilot
Noun
Cardman will command the Dragon flight home with Fincke as pilot.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 Jan. 2026
Both pilots survived the crash.
—Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
And above all, treat it as a co-pilot, not an autopilot.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
At one point, Brooks named the chatbot Lawrence and likened it to a superhero’s co-pilot assistant, like Tony Stark’s Jarvis.
—Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
Alexan chronicled Paul competing in the Chicago Triathlon, snow skiing, water skiing and even co-piloting an airplane.
—Jeff Banowetz, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
The young women are all cousins, and David — who was piloting the private aircraft — is their uncle, according to a relative’s Facebook post, viewed by PEOPLE.
—Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pilot
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilot
Noun
-
Klum wore the same ensemble but swapped her aviators for rectangular brown frames.—
Christina Perrier,
InStyle,
5 Jan. 2026
-
While an undergraduate, Renfrow Smith met Amelia Earhart during one of the famed aviator’s visits to campus.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
5 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Industry analysts warn that social stigma remains high and inflation threatens to curb spending on experimental, nonessential goods.—
Luke Fountain,
CNBC,
10 Jan. 2026
-
In an interview with Interesting Engineering, UEL researcher Daehyun Kim explained that SCARABS focuses on exploration reliability rather than experimental payloads.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Several Venezuela residents told TIME that the fear of what might be discovered on their phone at a checkpoint has guided their behavior in the days since Maduro's ouster.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Since launch, mission teams have guided the observatory steadily toward L1.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Witnesses and local leaders have contradicted that claim, saying Good was trying to leave and steering away from the agent.—
Michael Abeyta,
CBS News,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Pink and black, a similar color pairing, is one that Gage urges steering clear of in this day and age.—
Sarah Lyon,
The Spruce,
12 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Player retention is never going to dominate headlines like player acquisition during college’s version of free agency, but TCU head coach Sonny Dykes has stuck to his vision of wanting the Horned Frogs to be a developmental program.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Changes in physical traits like these can arise through multiple pathways, including genetic evolution, developmental plasticity, or selection acting on existing variation within a population.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Buffalo’s Lindy Ruff became the third head coach in NHL history to coach 1,900 regular-season games.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
-
The only reasonable, logical explanation to Indiana University’s success in football is not coaching, but cheating.—
Mac Engel
January 13,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Data from Life360 — an app that provides real time GPS tracking — shows Pittman traveled from his home in Madison County, then stopped at a gas station in Ridgeland before proceeding to the synagogue, according to the complaint.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN Money,
13 Jan. 2026
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While the Eaton Fire zone also experienced traffic, the research shows that the area handled the volume better because more streets allowed cars to eventually flow into the city grid.—
CBS LA Staff,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Police said in a news release that investigators were conducting follow-up interviews, collecting and analyzing evidence, and reviewing available video and other investigative leads in an effort to identify and locate all involved parties.—
Harry Harris,
Mercury News,
12 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pilot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilot. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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