pioneers 1 of 2

Definition of pioneersnext
plural of pioneer
as in settlers
a person who settles in a new region the hardships that the pioneers endured while taming the wilderness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

pioneers

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pioneer

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pioneers
Noun
Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died Thursday of prostate cancer in Pennsylvania, according to his lawyer. Arkansas Online, 11 Apr. 2026 Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died in Pennsylvania of prostate cancer on Thursday, according to his lawyer. CBS News, 10 Apr. 2026 There’s also a smattering of hip-hop, including a 1988 concert by rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions. Christopher Weber, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2026 There's also a smattering of hip-hop, including a 1988 concert by rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions. ABC News, 7 Apr. 2026 Time and time again, pioneers of new platforms have also bought up content and influenced conversations about those platforms. Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 3 Apr. 2026 In 1861, Eichardt’s Private Hotel opened in an old wool-shearing shed to provide pioneers and prospectors with the first lodging accommodation in Queenstown, a former gold rush outpost. New York Times, 2 Apr. 2026 There, the pioneers—practical, inventive, restless, exuberant white men—clashed with Indigenous peoples, subduing them and a wilderness filled with wild animals and abundant natural resources. Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026 As other pioneers of drill’s first wave, like G Herbo, have expanded their sounds and become chart fixtures, Chief Keef doesn’t shy away from putting unexpected and even flat-out weird flourishes on his hometown sound. Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 1 Apr. 2026
Verb
This year’s Veteran Era Category, which honors artists that came to musical prominence before 1980, was awarded to bluegrass and folk music pioneers The Stanley Brothers, Ralph and Carter Stanley. Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 20 Mar. 2026 Geese owes an attitudinal debt to the punk pioneers the Stooges. Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2025 HackQuest pioneers this approach by creating comprehensive developer profiles on the blockchain. Douglas B. Laney, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 DiLoCoX pioneers a number of novel techniques, including pipeline parallelism, adaptive gradient compression, one-step-delay communication overlaps and local training, to create a decentralized AI training environment that scales to unprecedented heights. Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pioneers
Noun
  • The fatal shooting is the latest in a surge of increasingly brazen and violent attacks against Palestinians, waged by Israeli settlers and, at times, by soldiers as well.
    Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Much of this influence played a role in what would become the dialect of the South more generally as Scots Irish settlers and their descendants spread into the backcountry of the Upper and, a bit later, the Lowland South.
    Valerie Fridland, Big Think, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Last year, people searching for missing relatives founds piles of shoes and other clothing, as well as bone fragments at what authorities later said was a Jalisco cartel recruitment and training site.
    Fabiola Sanchez, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Feb. 2026
  • Last year, people searching for missing relatives founds piles of shoes and other clothing, as well as bone fragments, at what authorities later said was a Jalisco cartel recruitment and training site.
    Garrett Haake, NBC news, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • That exhibit looks at India through the eyes of colonists and corporations.
    Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Paul Revere and other messengers on that night gave the colonists a chance to resist the British troops at the battles of Lexington and Concord.
    William Lambers, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • After the freeze of nearly $800 million in federal research funds, the deal’s resolution both restores essential support for academic research and institutes new requirements intended to bolster anti-discrimination efforts—especially against anti-Semitism.
    Associate News Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
  • In areas where our UDC system has been deployed, the grid operator instead institutes a brownout, cutting power by 90 percent.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2017
Verb
  • At its core, the bill establishes clear and consistent standard of fairness.
    Rep. Nick Menapace, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026
  • For schools with bigger projects, Litardo said, the district also establishes a design advisory team like the one Sadowski joined.
    Maria Benevento, Kansas City Star, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Duchamp-curious initiates in wait will also delight in this show.
    Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 8 Apr. 2026
  • KeyBanc initiates Permian Resources as overweight Key says the Permian Basin exploration and production company is well positioned.
    Michael Bloom, CNBC, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Someone unusual might enter your world who introduces you to new ideas, new knowledge and a greater sense of freedom.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Jinx introduces himself and moves to shake Mark’s hand.
    Erin Qualey, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Below against Gillingham in January, Smith launches the ball forward.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
  • In a series first, Captain Sig Hansen launches an unprecedented covert scouting mission, deploying an underwater drone into the unknown waters in a bold attempt to locate the rare strain of king crab before the rest of the fleet arrives.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 23 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pioneers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pioneers. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on pioneers

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster