as in pioneers
someone who is the first to do something or be somewhere
The deep-sea explorer set out to discover shipwrecks long lost to history.
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Recent Examples of explorers
This Halloween, step into stories where science meets terror, where contagions kill, landscapes devour explorers, and technology crushes the human soul.
—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
By the 1540s, Spanish explorers had named the Philippines after their crown prince, the soon-to-be Philip II, who would reign for almost the entire second half of the 16th century.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
The two professions are intimately linked, with both spies and explorers illuminating the unknown.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
To get there, the Norwegian explorers navigated the interminable snowfields of interior Antarctica, trudging through the harshest climates on earth for 56 days.
—Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
In the end, the explorers destroyed themselves and their ships and ruined the lives of so many indigenous people after setting up colonies in places like Tierra del Fuego.
—Charlie Markbreiter, Them., 21 Oct. 2025
National Geographic has just released its 2026 Best of the World list, 25 must-visit destinations chosen by its international team of editors and explorers.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra offers the technical performance and durability that hard-core explorers need.
—PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
The Corolla Wild Horses, also known as Banker horses, are descendants of Spanish mustangs that were brought to the area by explorers more than 400 years ago.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2025
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry, Space.com, 31 Oct. 2025
By the 1540s, Spanish explorers had named the Philippines after their crown prince, the soon-to-be Philip II, who would reign for almost the entire second half of the 16th century.
—Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
The two professions are intimately linked, with both spies and explorers illuminating the unknown.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
To get there, the Norwegian explorers navigated the interminable snowfields of interior Antarctica, trudging through the harshest climates on earth for 56 days.
—Brad Japhe, HollywoodReporter, 25 Oct. 2025
In the end, the explorers destroyed themselves and their ships and ruined the lives of so many indigenous people after setting up colonies in places like Tierra del Fuego.
—Charlie Markbreiter, Them., 21 Oct. 2025
National Geographic has just released its 2026 Best of the World list, 25 must-visit destinations chosen by its international team of editors and explorers.
—Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2025
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra offers the technical performance and durability that hard-core explorers need.
—PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2025
The Corolla Wild Horses, also known as Banker horses, are descendants of Spanish mustangs that were brought to the area by explorers more than 400 years ago.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 11 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explorers
Noun
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Newcomers began to arrive almost immediately, with the growth driven by the forty-niners ‒ the gold-seeking pioneers who began flocking west in 1849.—
Andre Byik,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Soundgarden Soundgarden are widely considered one of the great pioneers of grunge.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But travelers could still see flight cuts even if the government were to reopen next week, as the FAA’s order requires airlines to cancel flights days in advance.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Air travelers came and went mostly without trouble at Denver International Airport on Friday, expressing gratitude for federal air traffic controllers working without pay, ready to adapt as flight reductions ordered by the Federal Aviation Administration kicked in.—
Bruce Finley,
Denver Post,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Explorers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/explorers. Accessed 25 Nov. 2025.
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