astronaut
noun
as·tro·naut
ˈa-strə-ˌnȯt 
-ˌnät
plural astronauts
: a person whose profession is to travel beyond the earth's atmosphere
NASA on Wednesday introduced the group of astronauts it has chosen for upcoming missions to the moon. The program, called Artemis, aims to send people back to the moon for the first time since the end of NASA's Apollo program in 1972.—
Kenneth Chang
Kenneth Chang
broadly
: any person who travels beyond the earth's atmosphere
William Shatner, the 90-year-old actor of "Star Trek" fame, endured a 10-minute, rocket-powered ride to the edge of space … . In that moment, at least one thing became certain: Yes, a nonagenarian can be an astronaut. —Jackie Wattles
Jackie Wattles 
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Soon, Martin is fully submerged in Janine’s imaginative activities, pretending to be an astronaut in space and chuckling when a foam rocket hits Gregory in the face.
—Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
The mission, which was funded by Jeff Bezos’ private space company Blue Origin, featured the first all-female crew to go to space since Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova orbited the Earth alone in 1963.
—Vrinda Jagota, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2025
According to Morales, a focus of the research is seeing if a plant can produce enough to feed a group of four, providing long-term nutrients for astronauts who want to visit Mars or return to the moon.
—Uma Raja, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2025
While many of the other female astronauts had big grins on their faces, King looked a little uncertain.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
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Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 17 Apr. 2025
The mission, which was funded by Jeff Bezos’ private space company Blue Origin, featured the first all-female crew to go to space since Russian astronaut Valentina Tereshkova orbited the Earth alone in 1963.
—Vrinda Jagota, Pitchfork, 15 Apr. 2025
According to Morales, a focus of the research is seeing if a plant can produce enough to feed a group of four, providing long-term nutrients for astronauts who want to visit Mars or return to the moon.
—Uma Raja, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2025
While many of the other female astronauts had big grins on their faces, King looked a little uncertain.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for astronaut
Cite this Entry
“Astronaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astronaut. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
astronaut
noun
as·tro·naut
ˈas-trə-ˌnȯt
-nät
: a traveler in a spacecraft
astronautic
adjective
ˌas-trə-ˈnȯt-ik
or astronautical
-i-kəl,
-nät-
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