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
Soon there was an altercation at the front desk, when a Haitian upbraided the American peons about not getting her free stuff fast enough.
—
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
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 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
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
Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 8 Oct. 2025
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 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for peon
Noun
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In 2024, only 18% of construction laborers and 8% of retail workers in California were represented by a union.—
Nicole Macias Garibay,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Mar. 2026
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In their latest motion, Zeigler’s attorneys say that Marques’ and other judges over the years have overlooked Felton Thomas and Edward Williams — two Black laborers who testified against Zeigler at his 1976 trial — as culprits.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This time, however, travelers are already facing long lines and delays due to the ongoing partial government shutdown, which has left thousands of TSA workers without pay.—
De'Anthony Taylor,
Baltimore Sun,
28 Mar. 2026
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Fatalities data, the group says, is based on a range of sources, including sources among medical workers, publicly available images and official statements.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Peon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/peon. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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