Synonyms of pilots

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• aviators
• airmen
• fliers
• birdmen
• copilots
• test pilots
• aces
• flyboys
• skippers
• captains
• bush pilots
• barnstormers

pilots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pilot

1

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• guides
• coaches
• shows
• mentors
• shepherds
• tutors
• accompanies
• steers
• teaches
• engineers
• leads
• walks through
• counsels
• escorts
• trains
• informs
• schools
• convoys
• supervises
• drills
• briefs
• squires
• godfathers
• chaperones
• superintends
• sees
• directs
• attends
• sways
• oversees
• instructs
• indoctrinates
• fosters
• enlightens
• inculcates
• nurtures
• cultivates

2

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• guides
• steers
• routes
• shows
• ushers
• leads
• accompanies
• marshals
• escorts
• conducts
• directs
• convoys
• precedes
• controls
• chaperones
• manages
• sees
• attends

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• follows
• trails
• dogs
• tails
• shadows
• hounds
• tailgates

3

as in navigates

to operate or control the course of

managed to pilot the plane to safety despite the failure of the left engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• steers
• navigates
• hijacks
• helms
• conns
• commandeers

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pilots

Noun

To make sure viewers keep watching, do create top-tier pilots or first films within franchises, as this is the world in which stories live and where characters eventually go back to, recommended Cannon and Hildebrand. — Annika Pham, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026

Across industries, companies are moving from AI pilots to real deployments and seeing measurable results. — Bryan Goode, Fortune, 26 Sep. 2026

Bye Aerospace also designed the aircraft around safety and repeatable handling for student pilots. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

The company says the aircraft could cut flight-training costs by as much as 80% compared to conventional combustion-engine trainers – a number worth watching closely, given how badly the industry needs cheaper ways to churn out new pilots. — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026

The Royal Air Force (RAF) said the incident involving a Hawk T2 aircraft happened near Anglesey on Wednesday after the pilots departed the RAF Valley base in the northwestern part of the country. — Greg Norman-Diamond, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Before that, the comedian was campaigning to improve pilots’ mental health in the second season of The Rehearsal. — Peter White, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2026

Many organizations still view AI as a portfolio of models, co-pilots and pilots. — Anshu Bansal, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The tragedy has prompted soul-searching in the world of TV news helicopter pilots and focused attention on safety issues. — Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026

Verb

Heath pilots a fighter jet, deploys bombs in foreign countries, and thwarts cyberattacks, all after remarkably cursory and casual conversations with a government official. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Manuel Varela, who also pilots Goodie, says the drone has switchable nozzles for whatever the cleaning job calls for. — Delia Rose Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 July 2026

There's also an optional co-op mode, which allows two players to split the controls of the Arwing starfighter and other vehicles; one person pilots them while the other shoots at enemies. — Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 8 May 2026

Benji gives in to whatever Jake wants, desperate not to rock the boat, while Jake frequently pilots their relationship, taking control without giving much thought to Benji and his desires. — David Opie, IndieWire, 4 May 2026

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