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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That was because that mission was needed to fly home two NASA astronauts who were left behind on the station by Starliner during its first crewed test flight last summer.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2025
Axiom's astronauts must depart the ISS before Crew-11's launch, which will be followed in a matter of days by the departure of Crew-10.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 July 2025
Hanks, who once had aspirations to be an astronaut, got to live out his fantasy in the epic space film directed by Ron Howard.
—Rachel Yang, EW.com, 9 July 2025
Right now, the rocket is tailored toward test launches but there are plans for astronauts to be aboard in the future.
—Beck Andrew Salgado, Austin American Statesman, 8 July 2025
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Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 July 2025
Axiom's astronauts must depart the ISS before Crew-11's launch, which will be followed in a matter of days by the departure of Crew-10.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 10 July 2025
Hanks, who once had aspirations to be an astronaut, got to live out his fantasy in the epic space film directed by Ron Howard.
—Rachel Yang, EW.com, 9 July 2025
Right now, the rocket is tailored toward test launches but there are plans for astronauts to be aboard in the future.
—Beck Andrew Salgado, Austin American Statesman, 8 July 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 19 Jul. 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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