pilot
n. · v. · adj.-
1 aircraft operator (n.) A2 Elementarya person who operates the controls of an aircraft.
a person qualified to operate the directional and altitude controls of an aircraft.
ExampleThe pilot announced that the plane would be landing in twenty minutes.
ExampleAfter completing hundreds of hours in the flight simulator, the trainee pilot was finally cleared for her first solo cross-country flight.
-
2 maritime guide (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea person who helps steer ships through difficult or dangerous waters.
a person with local knowledge of depths and currents hired to navigate a vessel through a specific harbour or coastal area.
ExampleThe local pilot boarded the cargo ship to guide it safely into the narrow port.
ExampleMaritime law often requires a local pilot to take command of the bridge when a large vessel enters a restricted waterway.
- helmsman
- navigator
Show 4 more sensesShow fewer
-
3 TV episode (n.) B1 Intermediate Theatrea single episode of a TV show made to see if the whole series should be produced.
a sample episode of a proposed television series produced to gauge audience reaction and network interest.
ExampleThe pilot was so popular that the network ordered ten more episodes immediately.
ExampleWhile the pilot featured a different actor in the lead role, the core premise of the sitcom remained unchanged when the series was greenlit.
- trial episode
- sample
-
4 to fly or steer (v.) B1 Intermediateto act as the pilot of a plane or ship.
to operate the controls of an aircraft or watercraft; often used transitively.
ExampleHe has been piloting small private planes for over twenty years.
ExampleThe captain successfully piloted the damaged vessel through the storm, reaching the safety of the bay just before midnight.
-
5 to test a project (v.) B2 Upper Intermediateto test a new idea or product on a small scale before starting it fully.
to conduct a preliminary trial of a program, product, or policy to evaluate its feasibility.
ExampleThe school decided to pilot the new lunch program in just one grade first.
ExampleThe government intends to pilot the universal basic income scheme in three specific municipalities before considering a nationwide rollout.
-
6 experimental (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediatedescribing something used as a test or a trial.
serving as a tentative model or test for future developments; typically used attributively.
ExampleThe company is running a pilot project to see if people like the new app.
ExampleThe results from the pilot study suggested that the medication was effective, though a larger clinical trial is still required.
From Middle French pilot, pillot, from Italian pilota, piloto, older also pedotta, pedot(t)o (the form in pil- is probably influenced by pileggiare (“to sail, navigate”)); ultimately from unattested Byzantine Greek πηδώτης (pēdṓtēs, “helmsman”), from Ancient Greek πηδόν (pēdón, “blade of an oar, oar”), hence also Ancient and Modern Greek πηδάλιον (pēdálion, “rudder”).