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

Dozens of flights to and from Catalina Island have crashed over the years, with pilots saying the airport poses its share of challenges. — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026

The controller was having trouble hearing the pilots and asked them to repeat their messages, including altitude, several times, according to the audio. — Anselm Gibbs, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026

The codes are used by pilots when speaking over the radio may not be possible or wise. — Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026

The FlyDubai incident, and past crashes caused by pilots who wanted to take their own lives, highlight the risk when a threat comes from inside the cockpit. — Sam Metz, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

The other has data scattered across a dozen warehouses, no observability into model usage and pilots that will never scale. — Shweta Gummidipudi, Forbes.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Two spare pilots, aboard in case regional rerouting pushed the original crew past duty limits, took over and diverted the plane to Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. — Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 1 Oct. 2026

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

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

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