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
The explorers held a small celebration and called their landing spot Point du Mardi Gras.
—
Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Venezuela had been known to possess some crude — 15th-century Spanish explorers noticed indigenous people using oil for fires and asphalt to patch their canoes.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles seemed full of promise, fortune, and space — the same things that drove explorers westward 200 years ago.
—Lauren Bans, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026
These centuries-old plants, collected by explorers Meriweather Lewis and William Clark, were a gift to Philadelphia’s American Philosophical Society from Thomas Jefferson.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
From self-driving smart trailers with auto-dumping waste tanks to on- and off-road explorers that bulge out in every direction possible to maximize living space, some truly jaw-dropping and inspiring camper vans, travel trailers, large motorhomes and expedition trucks emerged in 2025.
—New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2026
In the film, a group of explorers search through the Borneo jungle for a mystical flower believed to have massive potential in the field of medicine.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025
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
Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Venezuela had been known to possess some crude — 15th-century Spanish explorers noticed indigenous people using oil for fires and asphalt to patch their canoes.
—David Goldman, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
Los Angeles seemed full of promise, fortune, and space — the same things that drove explorers westward 200 years ago.
—Lauren Bans, Vulture, 5 Jan. 2026
These centuries-old plants, collected by explorers Meriweather Lewis and William Clark, were a gift to Philadelphia’s American Philosophical Society from Thomas Jefferson.
—Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 5 Jan. 2026
From self-driving smart trailers with auto-dumping waste tanks to on- and off-road explorers that bulge out in every direction possible to maximize living space, some truly jaw-dropping and inspiring camper vans, travel trailers, large motorhomes and expedition trucks emerged in 2025.
—New Atlas, 2 Jan. 2026
In the film, a group of explorers search through the Borneo jungle for a mystical flower believed to have massive potential in the field of medicine.
—Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 28 Dec. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for explorers
Noun
-
Chua is often credited as one of the pioneers of modern mixology in Singapore.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Jan. 2026
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As the industry grew, pioneers like Henry Ford increased production through new machinery and business management practices, such as the assembly line and vertical integration.—
Jeff Mayhugh,
Washington Post,
5 Jan. 2026
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 11 Jan. 2026.
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