- pilot
- pilot pi‧lot [ˈpaɪlət] noun [countable]a test that is done to see if an idea, product etc will be successful:
• If the pilots are successful, he hopes to go into full production next year.
• The company has no plans to participate in a pilot project to produce electric cars.
— pilot verb [transitive] :• They are piloting parts of the book in language schools.
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Ⅰ.pilot UK US /ˈpaɪlət/ noun [C]► TRANSPORT a person who flies aircraft: »He became a commercial airline pilot after leaving the airforce.
»He earned his pilot's licence in the US.
► MARKETING a television or radio programme that is made to test how popular it is with an audience in order to decide whether to make a new series: »They commissioned a pilot to test audience reactions.
► COMMERCE, MARKETING a test done by a business over a short period to see if a particular product, service, etc. is worth investing in: »Assuming the pilot is successful, there are plans to build a further two factories by the end of next year.
Ⅱ.pilot UK US /ˈpaɪlət/ verb [T]► TRANSPORT to fly an aircraft: »She pilots planes for the US Postal Service.
► MARKETING to test a new idea for a product, service, etc. over a short period to see whether it is worth developing and investing in: »The scheme is being piloted by a few councils with a view to extending it nationwide.
► GOVERNMENT, WORKPLACE to be responsible for making sure something develops or goes through a process without problems: pilot sth through sth »Two congressmen, one Democrat and one Republican, piloted the bill through the House.
Ⅲ.pilot UK US /ˈpaɪlət/ adjective [before noun] MARKETING► a pilot product, programme, project, etc. is something that is tested first over a short period to see whether it is worth developing and investing in: pilot programme/scheme/study »The pilot scheme proved that CCTV was a cost-effective way of reducing inner-city crime.
»The pilot episode of the series had the biggest viewing numbers of the year.
Financial and business terms. 2012.