as in steering
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1
as in guiding
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 conducting
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
3
as in navigating
to operate or control the course of
managed to pilot the plane to safety despite the failure of the left engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piloting
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
Qu said the company sees it as a hobby-grade product aimed at users who want a closer approximation of real piloting.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026
Give Charlotte credit for a forward-thinking move rather than auto-piloting into his next contract, but the short-term consequence is that there are no qualified starting centers here.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
With Kinta piloting, and Momo’s psychic powers fused with Aira’s hair abilities, the group makes a desperate attempt to shift the battle in their favor.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Next comes some fancy piloting, the detachment of the thrusters, and then the scavenger ship is effectively so much deadweight in space, at least for now.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Given its long range and the high likelihood of operating in an environment compromised by electronic warfare system, the Liutyi is not designed for remote piloting.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
By 2020, though, Cora was beloved in Boston for piloting the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship over the Dodgers in his first season as manager.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Ahead of the school year, former Superintendent Sean Maika and Anthony Jarrett, then the district’s chief instructional officer and now Maika’s interim successor, approached Hughes about piloting the program.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Apr. 2026
The Village Board decided to keep the slip lane, but provide removable bollards to allow for flexible closure for events/peak season, thereby maintaining traffic flexibility, allowing seasonal dining and a temporary plaza and piloting long-term improvements.
—Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Among CFOs deploying some form of AI at scale, including machine learning, GenAI, or agentic, over 40% are highly satisfied with AI results, compared to just 25% at companies still piloting AI, according to the report.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
This phase, Spinnova said, marks the shift from piloting to consistent, high-quality manufacturing.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2026
The community is one of a handful piloting a program to help houses survive wildfires.
—Lauren Sommer, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
California state employees, meanwhile, are piloting Poppy, a generative AI tool that can produce executive summaries, retrieve data for reports and audits and automate technical processes.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
Noun
At the end of the day, the crew will try out Orion’s manual piloting capability by steering the spacecraft through a variety of tasks.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
Qu said the company sees it as a hobby-grade product aimed at users who want a closer approximation of real piloting.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026
Give Charlotte credit for a forward-thinking move rather than auto-piloting into his next contract, but the short-term consequence is that there are no qualified starting centers here.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
With Kinta piloting, and Momo’s psychic powers fused with Aira’s hair abilities, the group makes a desperate attempt to shift the battle in their favor.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Next comes some fancy piloting, the detachment of the thrusters, and then the scavenger ship is effectively so much deadweight in space, at least for now.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Given its long range and the high likelihood of operating in an environment compromised by electronic warfare system, the Liutyi is not designed for remote piloting.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
Burger King is piloting an AI chatbot embedded in employee headsets that will evaluate their interactions for friendliness.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
By 2020, though, Cora was beloved in Boston for piloting the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship over the Dodgers in his first season as manager.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Ahead of the school year, former Superintendent Sean Maika and Anthony Jarrett, then the district’s chief instructional officer and now Maika’s interim successor, approached Hughes about piloting the program.
—Noah Alcala Bach, San Antonio Express-News, 22 Apr. 2026
The Village Board decided to keep the slip lane, but provide removable bollards to allow for flexible closure for events/peak season, thereby maintaining traffic flexibility, allowing seasonal dining and a temporary plaza and piloting long-term improvements.
—Chuck Fieldman, Chicago Tribune, 20 Apr. 2026
Among CFOs deploying some form of AI at scale, including machine learning, GenAI, or agentic, over 40% are highly satisfied with AI results, compared to just 25% at companies still piloting AI, according to the report.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
This phase, Spinnova said, marks the shift from piloting to consistent, high-quality manufacturing.
—Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 10 Apr. 2026
The community is one of a handful piloting a program to help houses survive wildfires.
—Lauren Sommer, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026
California state employees, meanwhile, are piloting Poppy, a generative AI tool that can produce executive summaries, retrieve data for reports and audits and automate technical processes.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piloting
Noun
-
The control system processes data from wheel speed sensors, steering angle, yaw rate, and road conditions to decide how much braking force each wheel requires at any moment.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reached a $120 million settlement with Navient in 2024, after accusing the lender of steering student loan borrowers away from affordable repayment plans and into expensive forbearances.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The final version, which Pinheiro Braathen tested on icy mountains in winter and on sweaty runs in summer, follows Octo’s guiding principle of maximum impact with a minimum of ingredients.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
2 May 2026
-
Anything less would be an abandonment of the guiding principles of May Day and our movement.—
Sonia Lawrence,
New York Daily News,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Scientists are conducting studies to learn more about the potential risk to people who hunt or eat deer or elk meat, for example, by determining if they are diagnosed with prion diseases more often than people who do not.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar quickly responded on X, slamming his Ukrainian counterpart for conducting diplomacy on social media.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This part may hold cameras or other systems for controlling and navigating the aircraft.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
Also starring a friend group navigating life in the Big Apple, NBC’s Friends premiered in September 1994 and ran for 10 seasons with a core cast of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
Breaking Barriers met or exceeded most benchmarks set by the California Board of State and Community Corrections, including goals for referrals, case management, employment placements and housing assistance, according to the research.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
2 May 2026
-
Taking the time to research and select roses for our gardens that are disease resistant and not susceptible hosts is our best management tool.—
Rita Perwich,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
In his free time, Jonathan enjoys coaching youth basketball, trying new restaurants and hanging with friends.—
Jonathan M. Alexander,
Houston Chronicle,
3 May 2026
-
Coach Jamie Clark, whose father, Bobby Clark, won a national title coaching Notre Dame, previously led Washington to the championship game in 2021, when the Huskies lost to Clemson.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Whether you’re headed to Pilates or running weekend errands, this look feels especially right now, composed of Leset’s V-neck white tee, Nili Lotan’s roomy red barn jacket, and a pair of Adidas x Wales Bonner sneakers.—
Laura Jackson,
Vogue,
7 May 2026
-
And unlike high-impact sports like running that require technical gear and supportive shoes, a Pilates outfit can be a bit more chill, depending on your vibe.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
There is still work to do; however, current congressional leadership has moved us in the right direction.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 May 2026
-
Asked whether Raman’s framing resonated politically, Schnur said many voters tune into the debate primarily to hear candidates discuss policy positions and leadership priorities, making arguments about political maneuvering potentially harder for casual audiences to follow.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Piloting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piloting. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
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