cosmonaut

noun

cos·​mo·​naut ˈkäz-mə-ˌnȯt How to pronounce cosmonaut (audio)
-ˌnät
: an astronaut of the Soviet or Russian space program

Examples of cosmonaut in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The eighth crew comprised of three NASA astronauts and one cosmonaut launched on March 3 and docked on March 5 to await the arrival of Boeing's Starliner capsule. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024 In the meantime, SpaceX's Crew Dragon has carried 50 astronauts, cosmonauts and civilians into orbit in 13 flights, 12 of them to the space station. William Harwood, CBS News, 7 May 2024 Russian officials later determined that the spacecraft was not safe to transport its crew of two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut home. Christian Davenport, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 The program’s end forced the space agency to turn to Russia, which — as tensions eased in the post-Cold War era — was a primary US partner on the space station and had a reliable vehicle called Soyuz to ferry its cosmonauts to the orbiting outpost. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 13 Apr. 2024 In a traditional welcome-aboard ceremony, station commander Andreas Mogensen (with microphone) jokes with the newly-arrived Crew 8 fliers (front row in blue flight suits, left to right): Jeanette Epps, cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, Mike Barratt and Crew Dragon commander Matthew Dominick. William Harwood, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 Sent on a space walk to assess damage, Jo dislodges what appears to be the desiccated body of a woman in the suit of Russian cosmonaut, circa late 1960s, which shoots from her grasp. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2024 That included European royals, Hollywood stars and a Soviet cosmonaut. Sabina Niksic, USA TODAY, 10 Feb. 2024 Left behind aboard the space station were their replacements, Crew 8 commander Matthew Dominick, co-pilot Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin along with Soyuz crewmates Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai Chub and NASA astronaut Loral O'Hara. William Harwood, CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cosmonaut.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Russian kosmonavt, from Greek kosmos + Russian -navt (as in aeronavt aeronaut)

First Known Use

1955, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cosmonaut was in 1955

Dictionary Entries Near cosmonaut

Cite this Entry

“Cosmonaut.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cosmonaut. Accessed 17 May. 2024.

Kids Definition

cosmonaut

noun
cos·​mo·​naut ˈkäz-mə-ˌnȯt How to pronounce cosmonaut (audio)
-ˌnät
: a Soviet or Russian astronaut

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