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• pioneer
  pioneer

  noun

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

  noun

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

pioneer

American  

[pahy-uh-neer] / ˌpaɪ əˈnɪər /

noun

• pioneers
  plural

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

2. 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.

   Synonyms:

   innovator, groundbreaker, trailblazer, leader

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

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

5. Aerospace. Pioneer, one of a series of U.S. space probes that explored the solar system and transmitted scientific information to earth.

6. Pioneer, (formerly) a member of a Communist organization in the Soviet Union for children ranging in age from 10 to 16.

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verb (used without object)

• pioneers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pioneered,
  past participle,  past
• pioneering
  present participle

1. to act as a pioneer.

verb (used with object)

• pioneers,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pioneered,
  past participle,  past
• pioneering
  present participle

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

2. to take part in the beginnings of; initiate.

   to pioneer an aid program.

3. to lead the way for (a group); trailblaze.

adjective

1. being the earliest, original, first of a particular kind, etc..

   a pioneer method of adult education.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of pioneers.

   pioneer justice.

3. being a pioneer.

   a pioneer fur trader.

pioneer ¹ British  

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

1. 1. a colonist, explorer, or settler of a new land, region, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pioneer wagon

2. an innovator or developer of something new

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

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

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verb

1. to be a pioneer (in or of)

2. (tr) to initiate, prepare, or open up

   to pioneer a medical programme

Pioneer ² British  

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

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

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Pioneer ³ British  

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

1. 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)

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pioneers
  plural

Participles

• pioneering
  present
• pioneered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pioneer
  simple
• pioneers
  simple
• have pioneered
  perfect
• has pioneered
  perfect
• am pioneering
  progressive
• are pioneering
  progressive
• is pioneering
  progressive
• have been pioneering
  perfect progressive
• has been pioneering
  perfect progressive

Past

• pioneered
  simple
• had pioneered
  perfect
• was pioneering
  progressive
• were pioneering
  progressive
• had been pioneering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pioneer
  simple
• will have pioneered
  perfect
• will be pioneering
  progressive
• will have been pioneering
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of pioneer

First recorded in 1515–25; from Middle French pionier, Old French peonier “foot soldier”; see origin at peon ¹, -eer

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pioneer Pioneer pioneers pioneered pioneering

Helmed by Barbara Burrell, Sky’s Gourmet Tacos helped pioneer a soulful approach to Mexican food that has since spread to Black-owned restaurants across Los Angeles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026

The three countries have a growing number of startups recognised worldwide, such as online reselling platform Vinted, rideshare service Bolt and videotelephony pioneer Skype.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Ford, which helped pioneer the modern assembly line and still assembles most of its cars in the U.S., sees the shift as a business necessity—for itself and for dealers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Thrive only began its sports investment arm in April, with an investment in the San Francisco Giants baseball team, which was the pioneer in sport-based dynamic pricing of tickets.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

At least a hundred of us stood by the parking lot that day, watching her learn the cheers, watching her jump around in her long pioneer dress.

From "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli

The Minoan Pioneer is not the only vessel to have been damaged during attacks on shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The early years were dominated by emerging electronics companies such as JVC, Panasonic, Pioneer and Sharp.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

In Massachusetts, the right-leaning Pioneer Institute has recently issued a brief calling for the adoption of policies to encourage the construction of smaller and less expensive “starter” homes.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026

In late 2023, after profits surged the prior year, Exxon snapped up Pioneer Natural Resources, a big West Texas oil producer, for $60 billion in stock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Howard returned to San Francisco, opened the Pioneer Motor Company on Buick’s behalf, and hired a local man to manage it.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Delta and United have been among the pioneers of segmentation in economy, and they’ve also focused on attracting richer flyers.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

It said the site was also "the birthplace of future UK science pioneers", as it welcomed "more than 25,000 schoolchildren every year".

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Among the medical pioneers responsible for the breakthrough was Solomon H. Snyder.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Since then, El Malilla has expanded the scope of reggaeton Mexa following collaborations with Puerto Rican pioneers such as Jowell y Randy and Colombian superstar J Balvin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

The book is filled with diary entries written by the pioneers themselves during their time on the trail, and even though a lot of it is flat-out horrifying, I can’t stop reading it.

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

BlackRock Chief Executive Larry Fink likened the current moment in financing of AI “compute” to the beginning of his career, when banks and investment firms pioneered the mortgage-backed securities market in the 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

For the nonprofit, which pioneered the concept years ago, understanding the community need is vital and programming varies widely across its 19 school district partners.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

KKR is benefiting in part because it was slower than competitors to sell private-credit funds to individuals through brokers and financial advisers, a strategy Blue Owl pioneered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Astronomers have claimed that the closure of Lovell and the e-MERLIN network will mean that Britain will fall behind in a field that was pioneered at Jodrell Bank.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

To this day, neutron therapy as pioneered by the cyclotroneers in 1938 remains an important part of the arsenal against certain cancers, including those of the prostate and salivary glands.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

For a company that has owned a pioneering AI lab since 2014 and has proclaimed itself “AI-first” since 2016, Google seems to have squandered an early lead, experts say.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

The pioneering experiment was carried out using OtaNano, Finland's national research infrastructure for nano, micro and quantum technology.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026

Former Toyota head Hiroshi Okuda, credited with championing the pioneering Prius hybrid and turning the Japanese automaker into a global titan, has died aged 93, the firm said Wednesday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026

“It’s really a complete revolution,” said Dr. Emmanuel Mignot, a sleep-medicine professor at Stanford University who led Takeda’s final studies and is credited for pioneering the science behind it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

Although it grew out of swing and the pioneering electric guitar figures of Charlie Christian, early rock and roll announced its intention to go light on improvisation and heavy on rhythm guitar.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall