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
How to use pioneer in a sentence
This is classic Finger Lakes riesling from one of the region’s pioneer wineries.
Good wine is now being made in most parts of the country. Here’s how to find it. | Dave McIntyre | November 6, 2020 | Washington PostThe rocket scientists in the 1960s who were grasping at the location of Venus and other worlds were pioneers in ways that perhaps even they didn’t realize.
We Never Know Exactly Where We’re Going in Outer Space - Issue 92: Frontiers | Caleb Scharf | November 4, 2020 | NautilusWomen across Paris, Europe and the rest of the world have connected to the method of expression pioneered by the movement’s founder, 29-year-old radical feminist Marguerite Stern.
Their landmark legislation has helped create a legal framework for private firms to pioneer more than 200 groundbreaking medical innovations—including the one that saved my life.
In a blend of travelogue, memoir, and biography, Kankimäki recounts her travels through Japan, Kenya, and Italy, while retracing the steps of 10 remarkable female pioneers from history.
Ragtime, blues, country, jazz, soul, and rock and roll were all pioneered or inspired by black artists.
They pioneered arena performances and electric light, enabling the first night performances.
We’re All Carnies Now: Why We Can’t Quit the Circus | Anthony Paletta | November 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTNoyce and his partner Gordon Moore also pioneered a new corporate culture at Intel.
Walter Isaacson’s ‘The Innovators’: How a Gaggle of Geeks Invented the Future | Wendy Smith | October 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen Musk decided he want to make electric cars, he was confronting the world that Ford had pioneered.
Blood transfusions on the battlefield, pioneered by Canadian doctor Norman Bethune in the Spanish Civil War, saved many lives.
Blood and War: The Hard Truth About ‘Boots on the Ground’ | Clive Irving | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe was the last of the old school of veteran leaders who pioneered and founded our commonwealth.
Gospel Doctrine | Joseph F. SmithA few of the older ones, the 'old-timers', have 'made good,' and hold positions in the society for which they pioneered.
Letters from America | Rupert BrookeIn many places the leadership and the membership of the church have courageously pioneered the way in times of crisis and change.
Herein is Love | Reuel L. HoweHe pioneered his cause to the utmost, talking about it, writing studies for it, and setting every one else doing the same.
Theodor Leschetizky | Annette HullahBut here you are caught, as it were, into another world; you are to have the way pioneered before you.
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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