pensioner

noun

pen·​sion·​er ˈpen(t)-sh(ə-)nər 

1

: a person who receives or lives on a pension

2

obsolete

a

: one of a military corps of 40 gentlemen who attend the British sovereign on state occasions

b

: retainer

c

: mercenary, hireling

Examples of pensioner in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But most blocks — home to pensioners, families and people with disabilities — cannot afford them. —Derek Gatopoulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2026

This notion of the Swedish welfare state as having been built by equals, by an initial largely rural and poor population, arguably distracted these pensioners from questions of wealth accumulation. —Miranda Sheild Johansson, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026

Some impersonated tax officers to frighten British pensioners into draining their life savings into suspicious bank accounts; others peddled irresistible student loan offers to American high schoolers. —Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025

The defense counsel for Cintula, a pensioner and former mine worker, stonemason, writer and public activist, argued that not every attack on an official was terrorism. —Reuters, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

pension entry 1 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pensioner

noun

pen·​sion·​er ˈpench-(ə-)nər 

: a person who receives or lives on a pension