Astronaut Meaning
/ˈæstɹəˌnɔːt/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose.
nounA 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.
Sentence Examples
The astronaut was slow to get used to the condition of weightlessness.
The astronaut was seen to land on the moon.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ floated gracefully outside the space station while repairing the damaged solar panel.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Being an ____ and traveling to space is a dream for many kids.
Word Origin & History
From astro- + -naut. Coined from Ancient Greek ἄστρον (ástron, “star”) and ναύτης (naútēs, “sailor”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Though from different social, economic, and political worlds, the astronauts and cosmonauts had much in common, both as professionals and human beings."
— 2013, Edward Clinton Ezell, Linda Neuman Ezell, The Partnership: A NASA History of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, Courier Corporation, →ISBN:
"The American astronauts in the competing Mercury program may have joked about being “Spam in a can,” but it seems clear that Korolev wanted to have plenty of cosmonauts on hand in case another rocket blew up."
— 2021 April 12, Gregory McNamee, “This Soviet cosmonaut was the first human in orbit — fueling the space race”, in CNN:
"Longtime NASA astronaut Don Pettit, who has ventured to space four times, returned to Earth on Saturday night from the International Space Station. Pettit, who turned 70 on Sunday, landed at 9:20 p.m. ET in a Soyuz spacecraft with Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, after a seven-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. […] Space doesn't just appear dark to astronauts aboard the space station."
— 2025 April 19, Ashley Strickland, “An astronaut’s awe-inspiring views from life in space”, in CNN:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ floated gracefully outside the space station while repairing the damaged solar panel.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Being an ____ and traveling to space is a dream for many kids.