Meaning & use
pilot
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A person who is trained to fly an aircraft, or who steers a ship through a harbor or narrow channel.
Grammar: Takes a/the: a pilot, two pilots.
Patterns
- pilot of something
- a pilot for an airline
The pilot told passengers to fasten their seat belts before the storm.
A harbor pilot came aboard to guide the tanker past the sandbanks.
She dreamed of becoming a pilot ever since her first flight.
adjectivebefore a noun
Done on a small scale as a trial, to find out whether a larger project or plan would work.
Grammar: Comes directly before a noun: a pilot scheme, not a scheme that is pilot.
Patterns
- pilot study
- pilot program
The city ran a pilot program for free bus passes in two neighborhoods.
Researchers carried out a pilot study before recruiting hundreds of volunteers.
The company launched a pilot version of the app for staff only.
verbtransitive
To test a new idea or system on a small scale, or to guide a vehicle or vessel.
Grammar: Takes an object: pilot a scheme, pilot a boat.
Patterns
- pilot something
- pilot something through something
The school will pilot the new reading scheme next term.
He piloted the small boat safely through the narrow inlet.
Several clinics piloted the booking system before it went nationwide.
Word forms
| plural | pilots |
|---|---|
| third person singular | pilots |
| past tense | piloted |
| past participle | piloted |
| -ing form | piloting |
Common combinations
- airline pilot
- Her father worked as an airline pilot for thirty years.
- fighter pilot
- The film follows a young fighter pilot during training.
- pilot scheme
- The council approved a pilot scheme for electric taxis.
- pilot episode
- The pilot episode was watched by millions.
- co-pilot
- The co-pilot took over the controls during the descent.
- on autopilot
- After a long shift he was driving home on autopilot.
Synonyms and how they differ
- aviator
- Aviator is an older, slightly romantic word for someone who flies, while pilot is the ordinary modern term.
- trial
- Trial is a general word for any test, whereas a pilot is specifically a small first version of a larger plan.
- navigator
- A navigator plans the route, while a pilot actually controls the craft.
- steer
- Steer is the plain verb for directing a vehicle, while pilot suggests skill or responsibility.
Opposites
Word family
- co-pilot noun
- the second pilot in an aircraft
- autopilot noun
- a system that flies or steers automatically
- piloting noun
- the act or skill of flying or steering
- copilot noun
- alternative spelling of co-pilot
Commonly confused: pilot or pylon?
pilot vs pylon
A pylon is a tall steel tower carrying power lines; it has nothing to do with flying or trials.
Practice
The health authority will ___ the new appointment system in three clinics before deciding whether to use it everywhere.
Choose one answer.
Pilot means to test something on a small scale first. Pioneer is tempting, but it means to be the first to develop something, not to trial it.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pilot”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.