navigator

Everyday

1. A person who works out the route of a ship, plane or car and tells the driver or pilot where to go. tree →
2. A sat-nav or app that shows the way. tree →
3. (history) A sailor-explorer who found new sea routes. tree →

In the lessons

In geography and history lessons, navigators used stars, maps and compasses to cross oceans. On car trips the person with the map is the navigator. In maths, a navigator uses distances, directions and bearings. Phrases: act as navigator, a great navigator.

Examples

• Dad drove and I was the navigator with the map. tree →
• The navigator used the stars to find the way at night. tree →
• Captain Cook was a famous navigator. tree →
• The plane's navigator checked the course. tree →
• Our phone's navigator told us to turn left. tree →
• Polynesian navigators crossed the Pacific in canoes. tree →
• Be a good navigator and read the signs. tree →

Note

Countable. Ends in -or, not -er. Verb: navigate; noun: navigation. In maths a navigator works with compass directions (north, east), distances and angles called bearings.