as in steering
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1
as in guiding
to give advice and instruction to (someone) regarding the course or process to be followed
piloted the figure skater through the national championships
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in conducting
to point out the way for (someone) especially from a position in front
the lead rider piloted the rest of the team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in navigating
to operate or control the course of
managed to pilot the plane to safety despite the failure of the left engine
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piloting
Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
Qu said the company sees it as a hobby-grade product aimed at users who want a closer approximation of real piloting.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026
Give Charlotte credit for a forward-thinking move rather than auto-piloting into his next contract, but the short-term consequence is that there are no qualified starting centers here.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
With Kinta piloting, and Momo’s psychic powers fused with Aira’s hair abilities, the group makes a desperate attempt to shift the battle in their favor.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Next comes some fancy piloting, the detachment of the thrusters, and then the scavenger ship is effectively so much deadweight in space, at least for now.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Given its long range and the high likelihood of operating in an environment compromised by electronic warfare system, the Liutyi is not designed for remote piloting.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Amy Reyes, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
The technology pioneered by BETA is part of the vanguard of self-piloting planes in the space.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
The company started piloting the service, called Amazon Now, in a handful of American cities in December.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 12 May 2026
For her motoring partner, Fade Ogunro, also a Dodgeball neophyte, piloting their Porsche was a matter of pride.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
To explain it succinctly, WEC features two main classes of cars, and multiple drivers will rotate piloting the vehicle.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Glover, for example, performed an extensive manual-flying trial with the capsule, piloting it to multiple close approaches with the SLS' upper stage.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026
Burger King is piloting an AI chatbot embedded in employee headsets that will evaluate their interactions for friendliness.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
By 2020, though, Cora was beloved in Boston for piloting the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship over the Dodgers in his first season as manager.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Noun
At the end of the day, the crew will try out Orion’s manual piloting capability by steering the spacecraft through a variety of tasks.
—Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
Qu said the company sees it as a hobby-grade product aimed at users who want a closer approximation of real piloting.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 Jan. 2026
Give Charlotte credit for a forward-thinking move rather than auto-piloting into his next contract, but the short-term consequence is that there are no qualified starting centers here.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
With Kinta piloting, and Momo’s psychic powers fused with Aira’s hair abilities, the group makes a desperate attempt to shift the battle in their favor.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Next comes some fancy piloting, the detachment of the thrusters, and then the scavenger ship is effectively so much deadweight in space, at least for now.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 14 Aug. 2025
Given its long range and the high likelihood of operating in an environment compromised by electronic warfare system, the Liutyi is not designed for remote piloting.
—Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Verb
Four startups — Algas Organics, X Net, Carbon Wave and Chemergy — are piloting ways to turn sargassum into useful products like fertilizer or building materials.
—Amy Reyes, Miami Herald, 18 May 2026
The technology pioneered by BETA is part of the vanguard of self-piloting planes in the space.
—John Werner, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
The company started piloting the service, called Amazon Now, in a handful of American cities in December.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 12 May 2026
For her motoring partner, Fade Ogunro, also a Dodgeball neophyte, piloting their Porsche was a matter of pride.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 11 May 2026
To explain it succinctly, WEC features two main classes of cars, and multiple drivers will rotate piloting the vehicle.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 8 May 2026
Glover, for example, performed an extensive manual-flying trial with the capsule, piloting it to multiple close approaches with the SLS' upper stage.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 May 2026
Burger King is piloting an AI chatbot embedded in employee headsets that will evaluate their interactions for friendliness.
—Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
By 2020, though, Cora was beloved in Boston for piloting the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series championship over the Dodgers in his first season as manager.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piloting
Noun
-
Additionally, the new hand-over-hand steering animations certainly improve the feel of driving from the in-car view if that’s your preferred perspective, and the drifting audience is sure to love that.—
Adam Ismail,
The Drive,
14 May 2026
-
Better brakes and new rack and pinion steering, instead of a crude recirculating ball setup, also sharpened the car’s handling.—
Howard Walker,
Robb Report,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
There are a few guiding principles for us.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
15 May 2026
-
Marmion succeeds Rick Baker, who retired after guiding the CBAA for 38 years.—
Sportico Staff,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Saginaw police are conducting a separate administrative investigation to determine whether department policy was followed.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
19 May 2026
-
Future development plans include expanding the system to coordinate multiple robots simultaneously and conducting more flight experiments in difficult and unpredictable environments while refining the platform through community feedback.—
Jijo Malayil,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Some expats find that administrative processes can be slow and that navigating the system takes patience, especially for those who do not speak French.—
Taryn White,
Travel + Leisure,
14 May 2026
-
In tests using an ex vivo pig stomach model, the robot demonstrated that different motion modes were essential for navigating complex internal structures.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
After the modernising ethos of the Eyraud era, this — the thinking went — was a way of putting football back at the very heart of the club’s management structure.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
This lasted until 2023, when new management company Storey Hotel Management (who also run Nanuku Resort in Fiji and the Ameswell Hotel in California) took over, and the resort has maintained its elegance and quiet luxury.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
When Tomlin stepped away as coach in January, the team hired McCarthy, who first began coaching Rodgers in 2006.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
-
After losing everything, Dean turns to coaching youth hockey and develops meaningful relationships with the kids.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
17 May 2026
Noun
-
No candidate has polled higher than 20-some percent — a testament to how many are in the running, but also an indication that none of them has truly captured the zeitgeist of today’s California.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 2026
-
On a per-year basis, that puts Achane third among NFL running backs, behind the Philadelphia Eagles’ Saquon Barkley and San Francisco 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
When asked, Bianco noted that the state needs to reform the educational system by removing school leadership rather than laying off teachers.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
Among other things, he was accused of being openly critical of college leadership and of failing to respond to or complete directives from college officials.—
Matthew Adams,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Piloting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piloting. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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