test pilot

noun

: a pilot who specializes in putting new or experimental airplanes through maneuvers designed to test them (as for strength) by producing strains in excess of normal

Examples of test pilot in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Victor Glover, a test pilot with combat experience over Iraq, is far removed from aircraft carriers, fighter jets and boyhood dreams of traveling into space. Scott Neuman, NPR, 27 Feb. 2024 Applicants must also have experience working in STEM – with a master's in engineering, math, biology or other sciences and professional experience or at least two years of doctoral work in these areas or a test pilot program. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 19 Feb. 2024 Leading up to Challenger Americans had been visiting space for decades before that — the first time in 1961, with U.S. Navy test pilot Alan Shepard. Brittany Kasko, Fox News, 28 Jan. 2024 The 40-year-old astronaut was a Marine Corps helicopter test pilot before her selection as a NASA astronaut in 2017. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 26 Aug. 2023 Following a similar career path to that of other early astronauts, Borman became an experimental test pilot, receiving a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from Caltech, and served a stint as an assistant professor at West Point. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 10 Nov. 2023 After graduating near the top of his U.S. Military Academy class, Mr. Borman became an Air Force test pilot of supersonic jet fighters. Eryn Brown, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 Four Indian Air Force test pilots are training for flights into space, although India's space agency hasn't revealed their identities. Stephen Clark, Ars Technica, 23 Oct. 2023 Among its stars is Scott Kelly, a former astronaut and test pilot who commanded three International Space Station expeditions. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 31 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'test pilot.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of test pilot was in 1917

Dictionary Entries Near test pilot

Cite this Entry

“Test pilot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/test%20pilot. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

test pilot

noun
: a pilot who puts new aircraft through tests

More from Merriam-Webster on test pilot

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