pensioner
Americannoun
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pensioners
plural
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a person who receives or lives on a pension.
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a person who works only for pay without regard to the value of the work; a hireling.
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a student at Cambridge University who pays the cost to dine in the commons and other expenses, and is not supported by any foundation.
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Obsolete. a gentleman-at-arms.
noun
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a person who is receiving a pension, esp an old-age pension from the state
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a person dependent on the pay or bounty of another
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obsolete another name for gentleman-at-arms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pensioner
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; from Anglo-French; pension, + -er 2 ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing pensioner
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
A pensioner who became a kinship carer to prevent her two great-granddaughters from going into care says she knew she had to do it despite criticism from some friends.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
One of hundreds of housing protesters camping in central Madrid, Aitana Lopez felt duty-bound to pay tribute to a pensioner whose eviction sparked a movement that culminated in early elections.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
"People expect to see improvement overnight," said Annamaria, 67, a local pensioner and supporter of the prime minister who also declined to give her last name.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Detectives have appealed for help identifying a pensioner whose body was found in a bin bag in a park.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
The final addition to the regular group at the farm was Mr. Jelliman, an amiable white pensioner and old friend of the movement who became the farm foreman.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Some pensioners say they are going to bed early, wearing extra layers and using hot water bottles because they cannot afford to heat their homes this winter.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
It appealed to teachers and students, workers, pensioners and farmers to take part in the protests on the first day of half-term holidays.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
It has appealed to teachers and students, workers, pensioners and farmers to take part.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
The senior-most claimants on the French state instead are its pensioners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
That doesn’t make any sense, of course—these are private files of pensioners; two strangers would never be allowed to thumb through them without permission.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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