PILOTS Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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pilots

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pilot

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

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in navigates

to operate or control the course of managed to pilot the plane to safety despite the failure of the left engine

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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 pilots

Noun

The Chinese government did not issue any public notices for pilots to avoid the rocket’s flight path, as is customary for space launches around the world. —

Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 2 June 2026 Some 14,000 employees were thrown out of work, including 3,000 pilots, 5,500 flight attendants, and 5,500 ground maintenance employees. —

Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 1 June 2026 New ideas get workshopped into incrementalism; pilots run indefinitely without a decision to scale or sunset; energy goes to refining what exists rather than building what could be. —

Patrick Jinks, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026 Inside, the ship functions like a floating city, with pilots, flight crews, cooks, doctors and firefighters all working around the clock while deployed around the world. —

Sarah Alegre, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026 At this time, Moore says, aviation was considered a daredevil sport, and successful pilots, especially in France, became celebrities. —

Rachel Treisman, NPR, 26 May 2026 The two pilots aboard safely ejected and were taken to an area hospital for evaluation, the NATC said. —

Faris Tanyos, CBS News, 26 May 2026 The Falcon pilots must decide which way to get around Bespin. —

Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 26 May 2026

Verb

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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilots

Noun

Thousands of family and friends crowded the pier for the roughly 3,500 sailors still on board, after the aviators who flew the planes attached to the carrier, flew off earlier in the week.

— Steve Walsh, NPR, 23 May 2026
These blackouts occur when intense X-ray and ultraviolet radiation from solar flares ionize Earth's upper atmosphere, interfering with high-frequency radio signals used by aviators, mariners and amateur radio operators.

— Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 11 May 2026