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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

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Etymology

Origin of pioneer

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

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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

Once the leader of and undisputed standard-bearer for the TV-to-digital shift, the streaming pioneer has had to publicly contend with various moments of weakness throughout this year.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

On Wednesday, Domjan was given the FAI's Louis Bleriot Medal -- established in 1936 and named after the French aviation pioneer -- in recognition of his world record flight.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

The disappearance of Earhart, an American aviation pioneer who was attempting to circumnavigate the globe with navigator Fred Noonan, has spawned decades of speculation.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Maniscalco is an incredible businessman, and a pioneer in the craft of shouting a premise and then pausing until the audience agrees it’s a punchline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Now, when they need her help, the pioneer woman player deserts them!

From "In the Time of the Butterflies" by Julia Alvarez

Production of the second batch of trays was delayed because Pioneer used much of the raw material figuring out how to get the job done right.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

You can check the local calendar here or plan now for the Whale Rock Music & Arts Festival at Castoro Cellars Sept. 19-20 or for the Pioneer Day Parade downtown on Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

"It appears the BoJ will pull the trigger and hike in September but then open the door to a potential pick up in the pace of hiking," Paresh Upadhyaya at Pioneer Investments said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

Wim Zwijnenburg, an environmental conflict expert at Dutch peace organisation PAX, also believes the visual evidence points to the Minoan Pioneer as the source of the oil.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Coach Ritchey spit the entire tooth—root and all—onto the clay of the batting cage at Pioneer Field.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

These new pioneers coax the landscape into fertile framing, helping to feed hungry populations.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

By 2007, both Don Omar and Hakim had cemented themselves as pioneers and icons in their respective genres.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Wing or centre, a wonderful finisher and a player whose innate talents were honed on those tough streets of his district - one that also produced fellow pioneers Roy Francis and Colin Dixon.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

AI pioneers looking over their shoulders with alarm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The leading figures in this revolution were men with Greek names, largely unfamiliar to us today, but the truest pioneers in the development of our civilization and our humanity.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

But remember that before Oppenheimer tossed us into the nuclear age, he pioneered modern theoretical physics in the United States.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

Founded as Ulster Plant Ltd in 1966, Powerscreen pioneered the concept of mobile screening.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

The theft-prone models lack a critical safeguard called an engine immobilizer pioneered in the mid-1980s, when more than 60,000 cars a year were stolen in Los Angeles alone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

The researchers reached that conclusion using a technique they pioneered with Raman spectroscopy.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

In the years immediately before the founding of the Royal Society two new sets of arguments for Christian faith were pioneered.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

William H. Draper III, a pioneering Silicon Valley venture capitalist, died on Sept. 8 at the age of 98.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Guardiola only spent four seasons at Barcelona, but it was an era-defining tenure, the Catalan giants pioneering a brand of football that would be celebrated and copied the world over.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

She also became a pioneering figure in land art, which used the landscape as both site and material.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

"This is the pioneering study showing that polyethylene can contribute to fatty liver disease and the use of spatial transcriptomics has determined exactly where the damage has happened within the liver," Joshi said.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

But I sometimes imagine that he merely slipped during a courageous and pioneering venture in observational geophysics.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

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