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

Cavan Images | Cavan | Getty Images At the start of 2025, during President Joe Biden’s final weeks in office, lawmakers pushed forward with last-minute major legislation that provides Social Security benefit increases to certain public pensioners. —Lorie Konish, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026

Anastasia said that on one occasion, her mother, a disabled pensioner, was left unable to pay for her groceries because card machines at her local store wouldn’t work without a mobile connection. —Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 31 Jan. 2026

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

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