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
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The July 10 initial taxi tests with test pilot Nils Larson at the controls marked a major milestone as the 100-ft (30 m) demonstrator conducted its first maneuvers under its own power. New Atlas, 20 July 2025 The craft seemed ideal for welcoming travelers who were not former test pilots, as the earliest astronauts were—or who were not astronauts at all. Alice George, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 July 2025 Few people understand this more intimately than Tim Peake, the British astronaut, test pilot, and ambassador for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education, who joined me for a fascinating conversation about space, AI, and the future of life on Earth. Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025 Judge Settle also called out the Trump administration for seemingly disregarding the service history of the transgender soldiers who brought the case, such as the Commander Emily Shilling, a naval aviator with 19 years of service who flew 60 combat missions before becoming a Navy test pilot. Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for test pilot

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Test pilot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/test%20pilot. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

test pilot

noun
: a pilot who puts new aircraft through tests

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