- present participle of pioneer.
pioneering
Americanadjective
-
being a pioneer, one of the first to settle a region, thus opening it for occupation and development by others.
This early pioneering family helped open up western Victoria in Australia.
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being among the first in any field of inquiry or activity; being among those spearheading an initiative of some kind.
Ours is a pioneering institution, continually advancing the understanding of medicine through groundbreaking research.
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Ecology. (of an organism) successfully establishing itself in a barren area, thus starting an ecological cycle of life.
Pioneering species can initiate recovery on drastically disturbed sites like that of the former gas plant.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of pioneering
First recorded in 1700–10; pioneer ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; pioneer ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And they’ve put themselves in this position not by pioneering a groundbreaking strategy, but by flagrantly violating the most ironclad rule of the Moneyball era: never bunt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
Among those he photographed was Rani Kaur, known as DJ Radical Sister, one of the pioneering women of the scene.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
In November 2021, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History opened an exhibit called “The Electric Dr. Franklin,” describing “Benjamin Franklin’s pioneering contributions to electrical science.”
From Salon ● Sep. 25, 2026
"He's really one of the top experts in the world when it comes to the neuromuscular junction, and it definitely gives us an edge here at Mizzou for pioneering innovative work in this field."
From Science Daily ● Sep. 24, 2026
Her mannerisms are what you’d imagine in a pioneering farmer’s wife.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
