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

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

Word Icons

Examples of astronaut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This month’s must-reads include astronaut and activist Amanda Nguyen’s debut memoir, Torrey Peters’ experimental follow-up to her 2021 debut bestseller Detransition, Baby, and Abdulrazak Gurnah’s first new novel since winning the Nobel Prize four years ago. —Shannon Carlin, TIME, 1 Mar. 2025

The goal is to gather data that will help pave the way for NASA's Artemis astronauts, who are scheduled to touch down near the moon's south pole a few years from now and then establish one or more bases in the water-rich region over the ensuing years. —Mike Wall, Space.com, 28 Feb. 2025

Duke, one of only four surviving men who walked on the moon, joined fellow astronaut Nicole Stott, a veteran of multiple space shuttle flights, at a ceremony at the KSC Visitor Complex, to receive a replica of the Athena lander. —Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2025

Future Moon missions, including human expeditions, will require precise positioning data to help spacecraft and astronauts navigate to pinpoint landings and rove across the lunar surface. —Kristin Shaw, Ars Technica, 27 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

astro- + -naut (in aeronaut)

Note: See note at astronautics.

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for astronaut

• aeronaut
• aforethought
• afterthought
• apricot
• argonaut
• camelot
• coffeepot
• concordat
• cosmonaut
• entrepot
• flowerpot
• huguenot

Kids Definition

astronaut

noun

as·​tro·​naut ˈas-trə-ˌnȯt 

-nät

: a traveler in a spacecraft

astronautic

ˌas-trə-ˈnȯt-ik

adjective

or astronautical

-i-kəl,

-nät-

Etymology

from astro- "star, heavens" (derived from Greek astron "star") and -naut (derived from Greek nautēs "sailor," from naus "ship") — related to nausea, nautical see Word History at nausea