pioneer

[ pahy-uh-neer ]

/ ˌpaɪ əˈnɪər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pioneer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who is among those who first enter or settle a region, thus opening it for occupation and development by others.

one who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress: pioneers in cancer research.

one of a group of foot soldiers detailed to make roads, dig intrenchments, etc., in advance of the main body.

Ecology. an organism that successfully establishes itself in a barren area, thus starting an ecological cycle of life.

(initial capital letter) Aerospace. one of a series of U.S. space probes that explored the solar system and transmitted scientific information to earth.

(initial capital letter) (formerly) a member of a Communist organization in the Soviet Union for children ranging in age from 10 to 16.Compare Komsomol, Octobrist.

verb (used without object)

to act as a pioneer.

verb (used with object)

to be the first to open or prepare (a way, settlement, etc.).

to take part in the beginnings of; initiate: to pioneer an aid program.

to lead the way for (a group); guide.

adjective

being the earliest, original, first of a particular kind, etc.: a pioneer method of adult education.

of, relating to, or characteristic of pioneers: pioneer justice.

being a pioneer: a pioneer fur trader.

Nearby words

Origin of pioneer

1515–25; < Middle French pionier, Old French peonier foot soldier. See peon¹, -eer

SYNONYMS FOR pioneer

2 leader, trailblazer, forerunner, pathfinder.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pioneer ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formsun·pi·o·neer·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pioneer

Peter Christopherson made the leap to life on the bandstand and became a pioneer in the industrial music genre.
The Golden Age of Rock Album Covers|Ted Gioia|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His great-grandfather, David Yellin, was a prominent Zionist scholar and Israeli pioneer.
Trans in the Holy Land: ‘Marzipan Flowers,’ Tal Kallai, and the Shattering of Israel’s LGBT Taboos|Itay Hod|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The first pioneer to reach the riparian tributary where Kansas City now shimmers was, in fact, on the lam himself.
Those Kansas City Blues: A Family History|Katie Baker|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So how did a popular magazine that was considered a pioneer of the genre end up getting left in the dust?
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine|Alex Suskind|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The video became a hit, and it led Boenish to pioneer a new type of diving—BASE.
The High-Flying Secrets of BASE Jumpers|William O’Connor|August 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On the 19th the pioneer boat, running some distance ahead of the others, was again upset by a wave.
The Romance of the Colorado River|Frederick S. Dellenbaugh
Aunt Lucy has the air of her pioneer great-grandmother who has heard an Indian calling!
The Long Roll|Mary Johnston
In all the trials incident to the pilgrimage and pioneer life, have you never sworn nor used bad language?
Wilford Woodruff|Matthias F. Cowley
And in this connection he spoke gratefully of the pioneer work which Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Jesse Collings had performed.
Lord Randolph Churchill|Winston Spencer Churchill
Miss Gwin embodied the original and pioneer one of the forces speedily set marching to the relief of the Finkelsteins.
Local Color|Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for pioneer (1 of 3)

pioneer

/ (ˌpaɪəˈnɪə) /

noun

a colonist, explorer, or settler of a new land, region, etc
(as modifier)a pioneer wagon

an innovator or developer of something new

military a member of an infantry group that digs entrenchments, makes roads, etc

ecology the first species of plant or animal to colonize an area of bare ground

verb

to be a pioneer (in or of)

(tr) to initiate, prepare, or open upto pioneer a medical programme

Word Origin for pioneer

C16: from Old French paonier infantryman, from paon pawn ²; see also peon 1

British Dictionary definitions for pioneer (2 of 3)

Pioneer

/ (ˌpaɪəˈnɪə) /

noun

a total abstainer from alcoholic drink, esp a member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, a society devoted to abstention

British Dictionary definitions for pioneer (3 of 3)

Pioneer

/ (ˌpaɪəˈnɪə) /

noun

any of a series of US spacecraft that studied the solar system, esp Pioneer 10, which made the first flyby of Jupiter (1973), and Pioneer 11, which made the first flyby of Saturn (1979)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for pioneer (1 of 2)

pioneer

1520s, "foot soldier who prepares the way for the army," from Middle French pionnier "foot-soldier, pioneer," from Old French paonier "foot-soldier" (11c.), from peon (see pawn (n.2)). Figurative sense of "person who goes first or does something first" is from c.1600. Related: Pioneers.

Word Origin and History for pioneer (1 of 2)

pioneer

1780, from pioneer (n.). Related: Pioneered; pioneering.

pioneer

noun

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of pioneer

Examples from the Web for pioneer

British Dictionary definitions for pioneer (1 of 3)

pioneer

noun

verb

Word Origin for pioneer

British Dictionary definitions for pioneer (2 of 3)

Pioneer

noun

British Dictionary definitions for pioneer (3 of 3)

Pioneer

noun

Word Origin and History for pioneer (1 of 2)

pioneer

Word Origin and History for pioneer (1 of 2)

pioneer