Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for groundbreaker. Search instead for rod breaker.
Synonyms

groundbreaker

American  
[ground-brey-ker] / ˈgraʊndˌbreɪ kər /

noun

  1. a person who is an originator, innovator, or pioneer in a particular activity.

  2. an original idea, product, or the like that leads to or makes possible further developments, growth, improvements, etc.


Etymology

Origin of groundbreaker

ground 1 + breaker 1

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.

See Examples For:

Roz Wyman, a groundbreaker herself — in 1953, at 22, she became the youngest person ever elected to the Los Angeles City Council — once reflected on Molina’s “firsts.”

From Seattle Times May 21, 2023

The show already had proved a groundbreaker at this year’s Screen Actors Guild, where Lee and Jung received the first guild acting trophies for a non-English language show.

From Washington Times Jul. 12, 2022

How do you measure the legacy of someone who is a groundbreaker?

From BBC Apr. 27, 2022

And the expectation that the title of groundbreaker engenders can weigh down a movie, sometimes fatally.

From Washington Post Aug. 20, 2021

“Janet is a groundbreaker who’s always carved her own path,” Brian Wright, the head of overall deals, wrote in an email.

From New York Times Apr. 30, 2021

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training