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View synonyms for pioneer

pioneer

[ pahy-uh-neer ]

noun

  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. Pioneer, Aerospace. 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. Compare Komsomol ( def 2 ), Octobrist ( def ).


verb (used without object)

  1. to act as a pioneer.

verb (used with object)

  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

/ 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)
“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

Pioneer

2

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

  1. a total abstainer from alcoholic drink, esp a member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, a society devoted to abstention
“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

pioneer

3

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

    1. a colonist, explorer, or settler of a new land, region, etc
    2. ( as modifier )

      a pioneer wagon

  1. an innovator or developer of something new
  2. military a member of an infantry group that digs entrenchments, makes roads, etc
  3. ecology the first species of plant or animal to colonize an area of bare ground
“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

verb

  1. to be a pioneer (in or of)
  2. tr to initiate, prepare, or open up

    to pioneer a medical programme

“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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Word History and Origins

Origin of pioneer1

First recorded in 1515–25; from Middle French pionier, Old French peonier “foot soldier”; peon 1, -eer
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Word History and Origins

Origin of pioneer1

C16: from Old French paonier infantryman, from paon pawn ²; see also peon 1
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Example Sentences

Dos Santos told BBC Africa Daily she never thought of herself in that way but did see herself as a "pioneer".

From BBC

Motorists under the influence of alcohol or drugs could be caught by a pioneering AI camera which is being tested for the first time in Devon and Cornwall.

From BBC

It was the ancestors of these early international pioneers who eventually returned to Europe to populate it.

From BBC

In the 1990s, California pioneered a patients’ rights movement that gave those covered by HMOs a right to second opinions, independent medical reviews of coverage denials and guaranteed coverage of certain commonly denied procedures.

The expansive Beatles biopic is reportedly picking its leading men to embody music pioneers Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

From Salon

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pionPioneer Day