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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The astronauts separated from the other spacecraft but the spinning got worse.
—Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
The plan is for new space stations developed by commercial companies to fill the void, providing home bases for astronauts from NASA and its international partners.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
Because the design is deliberately basic, astronauts or remote stations could simply print replacement parts in situ.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026
Prior to that mission, Artemis 3 astronauts aboard the Orion capsule are due to meet and dock in 2027 in Earth orbit with at least one of the commercial lunar landers being developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
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Arkansas Online, 22 Mar. 2026
The plan is for new space stations developed by commercial companies to fill the void, providing home bases for astronauts from NASA and its international partners.
—Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
Because the design is deliberately basic, astronauts or remote stations could simply print replacement parts in situ.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 20 Mar. 2026
Prior to that mission, Artemis 3 astronauts aboard the Orion capsule are due to meet and dock in 2027 in Earth orbit with at least one of the commercial lunar landers being developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin.
—Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for astronaut
Cite this Entry
“Astronaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astronaut. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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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