Definition of "astronaut"

A member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose.

1. An American space traveler, when contrasted against equivalent terms from other countries such as cosmonaut, taikonaut, spationaut, and vyomanaut.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • 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

(Hong Kong) A person (typically man) working abroad away from their family.  examples