pioneer

1 of 3

noun

pi·​o·​neer ˌpī-ə-ˈnir How to pronounce pioneer (audio)
1
: a member of a military unit usually of construction engineers
2
a
: a person or group that originates or helps open up a new line of thought or activity or a new method or technical development
b
: one of the first to settle in a territory
3
: a plant or animal capable of establishing itself in a bare, barren, or open area and initiating an ecological cycle

pioneer

2 of 3

verb

pioneered; pioneering; pioneers

intransitive verb

: to act as a pioneer
pioneered in the development of airplanes

transitive verb

1
: to open or prepare for others to follow
also : settle
2
: to originate or take part in the development of

pioneer

3 of 3

adjective

1
2
: relating to or being a pioneer
especially : of, relating to, or characteristic of early settlers or their time

Examples of pioneer in a Sentence

Noun the pioneers who settled in the American West in the 19th century the hardships that the pioneers endured while taming the wilderness Verb a painter who pioneered a new art form The new method of cancer treatment was pioneered by an international team of researchers. He helped pioneer a new route to the West. He pioneered in the development of airplanes. Adjective the nation's pioneer institution for the education of African-Americans See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Taking a chance on forensic genetic genealogy In 2011, King County investigators reached out to Colleen Fitzpatrick, one of the pioneers of forensic genetic genealogy, to inquire about using the new investigative tool. Annabelle Allen, CBS News, 18 Nov. 2023 Chuong Nguyen Withings has been one of the early technology pioneers in the consumer digital health space, launching products such as smart body scales, digital blood pressure monitors, wearables, and a connected thermometer. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 15 Nov. 2023 The InterContinental Golf Resort & Spa, and the upcoming Cloud 9 day-club pontoon, are among the latest to launch coral-planting experiences in the footsteps of marine ecotourism pioneers like the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Kokomo Island Fiji, and Six Senses Fiji. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2023 Those pre-baked spending expectations are what behavioral economists call this anchoring effect—a cognitive habit originally described by Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, two pioneers of the field, back in the 1970s. Mallika Mitra, wsj.com, 14 Nov. 2023 The pioneers of universal childhood education in the US and elsewhere were heavily influenced by the Prussian primary school system of the mid-nineteenth century. Andrew McAfee, Fortune, 14 Nov. 2023 In the mid-eighties, Yoshua Bengio, a pioneer in natural-language processing and in computer vision who is now the scientific director at Mila, an A.I. institute in Quebec, trained a Boltzmann Machine to recognize spoken syllables as part of his master’s thesis. Joshua Rothman, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 For those who may have never fully waded into Deep Tracks, which was launched in 2001 by Bailey and the late satellite-radio pioneer George Taylor Morris, the channel occupies a unique space in modern radio. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 9 Nov. 2023 One of his goals was to pay homage to pioneers who played integral roles in its growth. Chelsea Hylton, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023
Verb
Sunday will also see performances from Vandal, a Bahian rapper who pioneered grime and drill in the country, and AJULIACOSTA, who stands out for her bars and fashion. Okla Jones, Essence, 17 Nov. 2023 Acxiom pioneered identity resolution a quarter century ago. Gary Drenik, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023 Philip Meyer, a former reporter who pioneered new ways to incorporate data, quantitative methods and computers into investigative journalism, died on Saturday at his home in Carrboro, N.C., a suburb of Chapel Hill. Clay Risen, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2023 Dwight Twilley, one of the musicians who pioneered the rock subgenre known as power pop, died on Wednesday. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023 Beginning with journalist Josh Marshall, who founded an independent news organization that all started with a blog, and focusing on the late Heather Armstrong, who pioneered mommy blogging, Lorenz weaves the intricate story of social media and the communities that lie in it. Ella Sherman, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2023 Wall Street Journal - Harvard economics professor Claudia Goldin, who pioneered research on women’s participation in the workforce and the gender wage gap, won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences on Monday. Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2023 Several years ago, colleges and universities in Idaho pioneered the idea of admitting students directly from within their state as a technique to counter stagnant enrollment. Nick Anderson, Washington Post, 6 Nov. 2023 These setups are constantly being pioneered, dismantled, and reconceived—what worked yesterday might not work today, what worked an hour ago might not work this hour. Audrey Wollen, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pioneer.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from Middle French pionnier "worker employed on field fortifications who accompanies an army," going back to Old French peonier, pionier "foot soldier, laborer tasked with excavation," from peon, pion "foot soldier" + -ier -eer — more at pawn entry 1

Verb

derivative of pioneer entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of pioneer entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1780, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Adjective

1836, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pioneer was in 1523

Dictionary Entries Near pioneer

Cite this Entry

“Pioneer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pioneer. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

pioneer

1 of 2 noun
pi·​o·​neer ˌpī-ə-ˈni(ə)r How to pronounce pioneer (audio)
1
: a person or group that explores new areas of thought or activity
pioneers of American medicine
2
: one of the first to settle in an area : colonist
pioneer adjective

pioneer

2 of 2 verb
1
: to act as a pioneer
2
: to open or prepare for others to follow
3
: to begin or take part in the development of something new

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