pilot
pilot — noun
1. someone trained and allowed to control a plane or other aircraft in the air.
someone trained and allowed to control a plane or other aircraft in the air.
After ten years in the air force, Elena became a commercial pilot.
common collocation: commercial pilot
The pilot checked the weather before taking the small plane north.
typical duty before a flight
When smoke filled the cabin, the pilot landed calmly on a farm road.
Our pilot waved from the cockpit before the school tour began.
collocation: pilot in the cockpit
- commercial pilot
- airline pilot
- helicopter pilot
- pilot error
Grammar Patterns
pilot + aircraft
commercial/airline/helicopter pilot
Usage Note
Often followed by a word showing the aircraft type or job, such as 'airline pilot' or 'helicopter pilot'. Distinguish from noun/2, which is a sea specialist who guides ships near a port.
Common Mistakes
2. a sea expert who comes onto a ship and leads it through difficult local waters,
a sea expert who comes onto a ship and leads it through difficult local waters, especially near a port.
A harbor pilot climbed aboard before dawn and guided the tanker inland.
common collocation: harbor pilot
Strong fog covered the bay, so the ship waited for a local pilot.
The captain thanked the pilot after reaching the narrow river mouth safely.
Only licensed pilots may bring large ships through this rocky channel.
pattern: pilot + ship through dangerous water
- harbor pilot
- licensed pilot
- pilot station
- local pilot
- harbor pilot
a more specific name for this exact role
- navigator
broader and can refer to route planning without boarding the ship
- guide
general word that does not show the official maritime role
Grammar Patterns
pilot + ship
harbor/local pilot
Usage Note
This sense is tied to ships and local waters, not aircraft. It often appears with words like 'harbor', 'port', 'channel', and 'licensed'.
Common Mistakes
3. a sample radio or television show made to see whether a new series should be con
a sample radio or television show made to see whether a new series should be continued.
The network ordered six more scripts after the pilot tested well.
TV industry use: a sample first show
We watched the pilot online before the full series reached Taiwan.
Her comedy pilot introduced the main family in just twenty minutes.
collocation: comedy pilot
Investors liked the radio pilot, so the station funded a season.
- film a pilot
- watch the pilot
- pilot episode
- radio pilot
- sample episode
clear descriptive phrase, but not the fixed industry term
- test show
plain-language explanation rather than a standard label
- prototype episode
stresses early design, but sounds more technical
Grammar Patterns
watch a pilot
film/shoot a pilot
Usage Note
Usually refers to one trial episode rather than a full series. Distinguish from adjective/1, where 'pilot' describes a test project or study.
Common Mistakes
4. a very small gas flame kept burning so it can light the main burner.
a very small gas flame kept burning so it can light the main burner.
The stove would not heat because the pilot had gone out.
common pattern: the pilot went out
Dad relit the pilot before turning the water heater back on.
pattern: relight the pilot
A weak smell of gas near the pilot made Rosa call for help.
The cook checked the blue pilot under the old gas oven.
- pilot light
- relight the pilot
- pilot goes out
- gas pilot
- pilot light
the full and more common form of this noun
- igniter flame
describes the function, but is less fixed as a dictionary label
Grammar Patterns
the pilot goes out
relight the pilot
Usage Note
Often appears in the full phrase 'pilot light'. When speakers shorten it to 'pilot', they still mean the small flame, not the whole stove or heater.
pilot — adjective
1. used on a small scale first to find out whether something works well enough to i
used on a small scale first to find out whether something works well enough to introduce more widely.
Three clinics joined a pilot program for evening video appointments.
pattern: pilot + program
The city ran a pilot scheme in two schools before spending more money.
collocation: pilot scheme
Our team tested the pilot app with fifty students in Tainan.
Results from the pilot study changed how the hospital trained nurses.
collocation: pilot study
- pilot program
- pilot project
- pilot study
- pilot scheme
- trial
close in meaning and common for a test period
- experimental
suggests more uncertainty or research focus
- prototype
often used for an early model of a product rather than a full scheme
- full-scale
already expanded to normal or complete use
Grammar Patterns
pilot + program/project/study/scheme
Usage Note
Used before nouns such as 'program', 'project', 'scheme', and 'study'. Distinguish from noun/3, where a 'pilot' is a trial TV or radio episode.
Common Mistakes
pilot — verb
1. to control an aircraft while it is flying.
to control an aircraft while it is flying.
Captain Ruiz piloted the rescue plane through heavy rain at night.
pattern: pilot + aircraft
Nina learned to pilot a helicopter during her army training.
A computer can help, but a human still piloted the test flight.
From the left seat, Omar piloted the small jet along the coast.
specific cockpit position in context
- pilot a plane
- pilot a helicopter
- pilot a jet
- pilot a test flight
Grammar Patterns
pilot + aircraft
Usage Note
The object is the aircraft being controlled: 'pilot a plane', 'pilot a helicopter'. In everyday speech, 'fly' is often more common, but 'pilot' sounds more exact and professional.
Common Mistakes
2. to try a new product, service, or plan with a small group before a full launch.
to try a new product, service, or plan with a small group before a full launch.
The company piloted the payment app in Kaohsiung for two months.
pattern: pilot + product before launch
Before the national launch, the bank piloted its new card with students.
Our office piloted a four-day week during the hot summer.
pilot + workplace change on a trial basis
The school piloted smart lockers with one seventh-grade class first.
- pilot a program
- pilot an app
- pilot a service
- pilot a new system
- launch
means to release fully rather than test on a small scale
Grammar Patterns
pilot + product/service/program
Usage Note
The object is usually something new that is being tested in limited use first. Distinguish from verb/3, which focuses more on leading the early introduction of a system or policy and making it take root.
Common Mistakes
3. to lead the first stage of a new law, system, or plan and make sure it starts wo
to lead the first stage of a new law, system, or plan and make sure it starts working in real use.
The ministry piloted the safety rules through public hospitals first.
pattern: pilot + rules through + institutions
A small team piloted the new reporting system across three offices.
The mayor asked Lina to pilot the recycling plan in the north.
Because staff were worried, the company slowly piloted the changes through branch offices.
adverb + pilot for staged rollout
- pilot reforms through schools
- pilot a system across offices
- pilot safety rules
- pilot changes through branch offices
- withdraw
remove a policy or system instead of putting it into use
Grammar Patterns
pilot + law/system/plan
pilot + object + through/across + place
Usage Note
The subject is often a government body, school, or company, and the object is usually a policy, rules, or a working system. Unlike verb/2, the focus is not only testing but also guiding the first stage of wider use.
Common Mistakes
4. to guide a ship into port or through a difficult stretch of water.
to guide a ship into port or through a difficult stretch of water.
An experienced officer piloted the ferry into port before sunrise.
pattern: pilot + ship into port
Local crews pilot cargo ships through the shallow mouth of the river.
pattern: pilot + ship through waterway
In winter, only trained staff can pilot boats past these ice rocks.
The pilot boat arrived first, and Mei piloted our ship home.
- pilot a ship into port
- pilot a ferry
- pilot through a channel
- pilot boats past rocks
Grammar Patterns
pilot + ship into/out of + port
pilot + ship through + waterway
Usage Note
Usually used for ships, boats, or ferries in waters that need special local knowledge. Distinguish from verb/1, which is about aircraft.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- co-pilotnounB2
- pilotlessadjectiveC1
- pilotagenounC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For noun/1, pilot is the normal word for a person who flies an aircraft, especially as a trained job role. Aviator is more formal and often appears in history, military writing, or ceremonial language. Flyer is looser and more informal; it can mean anyone who flies, even as a hobby. Captain is narrower in air travel: it usually means the senior pilot in command on a commercial flight, not every pilot on board. So you can say, 'My aunt is a helicopter pilot.' In a museum text, you might read, 'Amelia Earhart was a famous aviator.' On a plane, the announcement is usually 'The captain will speak to passengers now.'
Etymology
Pilot first named a person who guided a ship, and only later was the word used for aircraft. English took it from French, with an earlier form in medieval Latin, and the deeper root is linked to Greek words for an oar or steering tool. Because the basic idea was guiding a course, the word later spread from sea travel to planes, and then to newer meanings such as pilot program and pilot episode.