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
Having tonally redefined rap, he was ready to claim the mantle of one of the greatest musical pioneers of all time.
Future Makes Us Rethink Everything We Thought We Knew About Rap Artists | Luke Hopping | December 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe worked in the cultural arena instead, with pioneers like Ellen and Will & Grace.
One year later and 10 blocks away, my mother came into the world, the granddaughter of those pioneers who had roamed the prairie.
In many ways, Kansas City is a leaving town, a place for pioneers and rovers with an eye on the distant horizon.
Like other great pioneers, she took to heart what she had learned from the finest of those who preceded her.
How Brooklyn’s First Ice Cream Girl Fought City Hall–and Won | Michael Daly | October 13, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Several pioneers familiar with the facts of the tragedy at the time of its occurrence were also present.
Among the Sioux | R. J. CreswellAs before stated, Cavaill-Coll and Willis worked as pioneers in perfecting and in introducing the pneumatic action.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerHis father, a man of means, was prominent as one of the pioneers in organizing the volunteer army of Great Britain.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building | George Laing MillerHe retained a few picked men from each battalion, to be used as light troops and pioneers.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonTheir refusal to think along old lines of thought often makes them valuable pioneers in progress.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin Malley
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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