pensioner
Americannoun
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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.
"Are we in a zoo or something?" 68-year-old pensioner Anton Sabucha protested to AFP, nodding to the signs outside his house.
From Barron's • Jul. 3, 2026
"If we have people paying rent in retirement who don't have large pension pots to cover those expenses, then that equals higher risk of pensioner poverty."
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
"Renting in retirement increases your chances of pensioner poverty, and they do face challenges to save, as younger people, that previous generations didn't face when they were at the same age," she says.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
Lilia, a pensioner, recalled giving her infirm husband injections even as her hands and legs trembled during bombardments.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
