English · Word Candidate

astronaut

/ˈæstɹəˌnɔːt/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: astronauts

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose.

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose. — An American space traveler, when contrasted against equivalent terms from other countries such as cosmonaut, taikonaut, spationaut, and vyomanaut.

Noun

Examples

Though from different social, economic, and political worlds, the astronauts and cosmonauts had much in common, both as professionals and human beings.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “astronaut” mean?

A member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose.

Is “astronaut” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.