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
Relevance
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
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
To put that in perspective, fighter pilots wear specialized G-suits to withstand forces in that range.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Pilot and airline associations state that all pilots meet the same high standards regardless of background.
—David Shepardson, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Those three pilots teamed up to win nine medals in this World Cup season, more than any other nation — other than juggernaut Germany, which won 60 — in both men’s and women’s bobsledding combined.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
All of the daring and courage of the Golden Age films about cowboys, fighters, pilots, and pirates is distilled into the score for the first Indiana Jones movie.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
State media reported in 2014 that two PLA Naval Air Force pilots died while testing J-15 fighter jets on the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, though no further information was given.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Feb. 2026
The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel wouldn't be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
This reduces the time pilots spend in the air waiting for a slot to land; Sourisse estimates that these tools can cut fuel consumption by about 10%.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
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
Watch On For each mission simulation, one astronaut pilots the aircraft while another charts the landing area, marking key landmarks, identifying potential hazards and helping to track the flight path.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
The board has long urged all aircraft to have systems that would show pilots if another aircraft was getting dangerously close.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
To put that in perspective, fighter pilots wear specialized G-suits to withstand forces in that range.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Pilot and airline associations state that all pilots meet the same high standards regardless of background.
—David Shepardson, USA Today, 16 Feb. 2026
Those three pilots teamed up to win nine medals in this World Cup season, more than any other nation — other than juggernaut Germany, which won 60 — in both men’s and women’s bobsledding combined.
—Tim Reynolds, Chicago Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
All of the daring and courage of the Golden Age films about cowboys, fighters, pilots, and pirates is distilled into the score for the first Indiana Jones movie.
—Alex Galbraith, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Feb. 2026
State media reported in 2014 that two PLA Naval Air Force pilots died while testing J-15 fighter jets on the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, though no further information was given.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 15 Feb. 2026
The government of Cuba published the notices to airlines and pilots on Sunday night, warning that jet fuel wouldn't be available at nine airports across the island, including José Martí International Airport in Havana, starting Tuesday and continuing until March 11.
—CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026
This reduces the time pilots spend in the air waiting for a slot to land; Sourisse estimates that these tools can cut fuel consumption by about 10%.
—Angelica Ang, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
Watch On For each mission simulation, one astronaut pilots the aircraft while another charts the landing area, marking key landmarks, identifying potential hazards and helping to track the flight path.
—Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pilots
Noun
-
Waterhouse and Ramirez bring humor to their roles, whether leaning into the free-spirited nature of the town or playfully modeling Kors’ s signature aviators with the season’s bags and accessories in tow.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
The idea was born of a recent trend of die-hard fans attending Pitbull concerts in bald caps, aviators, and snug-fitting suit jackets.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The same philosophy guides the company’s acquisition strategy.—
William Jones,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The company guides who led the group were trained or certified in backcountry skiing and were also instructors with the American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The mayor's executive order steers the assessor to adopt the International Association of Assessing Officers ratio standards, produce a mass appraisal report and modify the city's economic condition factors.—
Dana Afana,
Freep.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The lifestyle and luxury executive, who joined Trudon in March 2025, also steers the creative strategy of its sister company Carrière Frères, a French interior fragrance brand.—
Jennifer Weil,
Footwear News,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sean McVay, who also collaborates with the agreeable Snead on the roster, coaches the team.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Atwood, who still coaches figure skating in addition to working with Houston Ice Theatre Skaters, says her relationship with Chan has matured.—
Peter Warren,
Houston Chronicle,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
How Phantom Shuttle steals your data Socket researchers say Phantom Shuttle routes all your web traffic through proxy servers controlled by the attacker.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
5 Jan. 2026
-
This underwater infrastructure quietly routes 95-99% of internet traffic, depending on the estimate, and are both complex to install and critical to the functioning of the web.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Satellite imagery of the Imam Ali Missile Base in Khorramabad, captured on January 5, shows that of the dozen structures destroyed by Israel, three have been rebuilt, one has been repaired while three others are currently under construction.—
Farida Elsebai,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
That puts her among the top parenting content creators as Krystiana in her online videos shows her days and nights with her growing young family and partner Ryan Draney.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pilots.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pilots. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
