as in laborer
a person who does very hard or dull work
the company had plenty of low-paying positions for people who were content to be peons all their lives
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Recent Examples of peon
Not only does the peon and con man Tom end up refashioning himself as the rich and carefree Dickie, but Highsmith’s novel itself was a retelling of Henry James’s The Ambassadors.
—
Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
Not afraid but brave, not weak but empowered, not peons but partners.
—Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
The powwow features various contests, including powwow singing, dancing, drumming, and peon games, with a total prize money pool of nearly $125,000 for this year’s participants.
—Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2024
The comic book will also share information about the present-day Kumeyaay Nation and its cultural traditions like peon, a game of chance played with bones, sticks and blankets primarily during traditional Southern Californian tribal gatherings.
—Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2023
The problem is manifested, for instance, in the absurdly long queues for even low-paying government jobs: India Today reported yesterday (June 6) that the government of Uttar Pradesh had received more than 5.5 million applications for the positions of gardeners, watchmen, and office peons.
—Niharika Sharma, Quartz, 7 June 2023
The free event starts Jan. 6 with a fireworks show at 7 p.m. followed by the first grand entry of the weekend scheduled for 8 p.m. Between the powwow singing, dancing, drumming and peon games contests, there is nearly $125,000 in prize money available to this year’s competitors.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Jan. 2023
Time ran out far too soon for my old friend Mike Leach, which is cruel and unfair and truly sad, because Mike always seemed to have so much time for everybody else, even a young peon journalist like me in 1999.
—Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2022
Kids and adults played peon or hand games traditional to the region.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2022
Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024
Not afraid but brave, not weak but empowered, not peons but partners.
—Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2024
The powwow features various contests, including powwow singing, dancing, drumming, and peon games, with a total prize money pool of nearly $125,000 for this year’s participants.
—Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2024
The comic book will also share information about the present-day Kumeyaay Nation and its cultural traditions like peon, a game of chance played with bones, sticks and blankets primarily during traditional Southern Californian tribal gatherings.
—Lauren J. Mapp, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 July 2023
The problem is manifested, for instance, in the absurdly long queues for even low-paying government jobs: India Today reported yesterday (June 6) that the government of Uttar Pradesh had received more than 5.5 million applications for the positions of gardeners, watchmen, and office peons.
—Niharika Sharma, Quartz, 7 June 2023
The free event starts Jan. 6 with a fireworks show at 7 p.m. followed by the first grand entry of the weekend scheduled for 8 p.m. Between the powwow singing, dancing, drumming and peon games contests, there is nearly $125,000 in prize money available to this year’s competitors.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Jan. 2023
Time ran out far too soon for my old friend Mike Leach, which is cruel and unfair and truly sad, because Mike always seemed to have so much time for everybody else, even a young peon journalist like me in 1999.
—Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2022
Kids and adults played peon or hand games traditional to the region.
—Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 28 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peon
Noun
-
The South American liberation leader Simón Bolívar emancipated the slave laborers who worked on his family’s estate—unlike George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2025
-
In Hollywood, officers raided the parking lot of a Home Depot where laborers and food vendors worked.—
Karen Garcia,
Los Angeles Times,
22 June 2025
Noun
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Unifor had fired back that DHL is not one of the top four express package delivery companies in Canada, and that DHL workers represent fewer than 0.7 percent of all local delivery workers and less than 15 percent of all courier workers in the country.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
27 June 2025
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Abrego Garcia worked as a construction worker in Maryland before his deportation in March, living with his wife and three children.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Peon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peon. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
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