Link Centre Dictionary

pioneer

pio·neer

UK/ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪə(ɹ)/ US/ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪɹ/ fairly common
verb (3) noun (2)

verb

1.

open up an area or prepare a way

  • “She pioneered a graduate program for women students”
Synonyms
2.

take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of

  • “This South African surgeon pioneered heart transplants”
Synonyms
3.

open up and explore a new area

  • “pioneer space”

noun

1.
2.

one the first colonists or settler in a new territory

  • “they went west as pioneers with only the possessions they could carry with them”

Origin

From Middle French pionnier (“originally, a foot soldier”), Old French peonier, from peon (“a foot soldier”) (modern French: pion). See pawn (in chess).

Phrases

  • pioneer axon
  • Pioneer Day
  • pioneer scarf
  • pioneer species
  • pioneer sword
  • young pioneer

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.