pioneer
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.
Pioneer, Aerospace. 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.: Compare Komsomol (def. 2), Octobrist.
to act as a pioneer.
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.
Origin of pioneer
1Other words for pioneer
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for pioneer (1 of 3)
/ (ˌpaɪəˈnɪə) /
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
Origin of pioneer
1British Dictionary definitions for Pioneer (2 of 3)
/ (ˌpaɪəˈnɪə) /
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)
/ (ˌpaɪəˈnɪə) /
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
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