a person who is among those who first enter or settle a region, thus opening it for occupation and development by others.
a person, group, or thing that is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or development.
a woman who was a pioneer in cancer research;
vehicles that were pioneers of automotive engineering.
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.
Aerospace. Pioneer, one of a series of U.S. space probes that explored the solar system and transmitted scientific information to earth.
Pioneer, (formerly) a member of a Communist organization in the Soviet Union for children ranging in age from 10 to 16.
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); trailblaze.
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.
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
to be a pioneer (in or of)
(tr) to initiate, prepare, or open up
to pioneer a medical programme
First recorded in 1515–25; from Middle French pionier, Old French peonier “foot soldier”; see origin at peon 1, -eer
A pioneer is one of the first settlers in a new place. If you desperately want to experience life in space, maybe you will be one of the pioneers who live in the first moon settlement. Pioneer comes from the old French for foot soldier or laborer, and particularly for groups of soldiers that would go out ahead of the rest of the troops to prepare the way. The European settlers who came to America in the 16th century are known as pioneers, as are the later groups who traveled West in the 18th and 19th centuries. We also use pioneer for anyone who takes initiative in a field, such as science or education.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Schwab is a dominant player in the brokerage industry and a pioneer in low-cost trading.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
Rupert Murdoch launched Sky in 1989, and Comcast acquired the satellite TV pioneer seven years ago when Murdoch divested much of his entertainment empire, including the LA-based Fox entertainment properties to the Walt Disney Co.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
That 1971 law declared wild horses and burros “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West” and made it illegal to harass, capture or kill them on public land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026
At the time, Leo believed he was helping to pioneer what he calls "an unprecedented piece of immigration legislation".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
“We literally thought of and designed and flew the airplanes in a space of about six or eight weeks,” said British aviation pioneer Thomas Sopwith.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
One attended Pioneer Valley High School, one attended Santa Maria High School, one attended Delta High School, and one was an alumnus of Delta High School, the spokesperson said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
He served as a rifleman, mortarman and machine gunner and his most recent appointment was as a Section Second in Command within the Assault Pioneer Platoon.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
"They fell ill while descending at high altitude. We are working out how to retrieve the bodies," Nivesh Karki, director at Pioneer Adventures, told AFP.
From Barron's ● May 22, 2026
Pioneer Park used to be Calvary cemetery once upon a time.
From Salon ● May 9, 2026
Using a gangplank hastily hammered together from wooden boards, refugees from Da Nang disembark from the US Military Sealift Command ship Pioneer Contender at Cam Ranh Bay 1975.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
The foundations of quantum mechanics were built by pioneers including Schrödinger and Werner Heisenberg.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 5, 2026
One of us is a Latter-day Saint, a Utah farm boy, shaped by tales of pioneers and the generations that endured persecution to settle in a place where we could flourish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Though it is a newer face in the industry—operating in the shadow of pioneers like Boston Dynamics, which has a two-decade head start—Agility can distinguish itself through the backing of high-profile clients.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
It's regarded as a hotbed of innovation and resides in the shadow of some of the most influential Big Tech companies on the planet, including many pioneers in the AI field.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Carl N. Karcher is one of the fast food industry’s pioneers.
From "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser
But Ukraine has pioneered innovations that are tilting the playing field.
From Slate ● Jul. 10, 2026
The idea of microfinance—tiny loans made in communities not served by traditional banks—was pioneered by Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus in the 1970s and 80s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Read: Palantir pioneered the hottest job in tech.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Either way, the onetime roommates and bandmates pioneered a discomfiting broken-doll aesthetic of smudged eyeliner, smeared lipstick and plastic barrettes clipped to hanks of bleached-out hair.
From Salon ● Jun. 12, 2026
Rao’s company has pioneered a work flow software program with a standardized format that makes the outsourcing of tax returns cheap and easy.
From "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman
Disraeli wrote fiction throughout his political career, pioneering the social novel alongside Charles Dickens and George Eliot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The objects, which sold for a total of £59,761, vary from a Victorian travelling shaving brush by pioneering silversmith Frances Douglas to an Imperial Russian tankard and an Edwardian jewellery box.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Bitcoin, the pioneering cryptocurrency, is mired in a big drawdown, as are most of the other major coins.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
In turn that gave Musk — whether intentionally or coincidentally — bragging rights as a pioneering trillionaire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Reggie's own adoption of technology very much paralleled what was happening around the country, a phenomenon documented in a series of pioneering studies initiated by the Kaiser Family Foundation in 1999.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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.
