pioneer

American  

[pahy-uh-neer] / ˌpaɪ əˈnɪər /

noun

1. a person who is among those who first enter or settle a region, thus opening it for occupation and development by others.

2. a person, group, or thing that is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or development.

   a woman who was a pioneer in cancer research;

   vehicles that were pioneers of automotive engineering.

   Synonyms:

   innovator, groundbreaker, trailblazer, leader

3. one of a group of foot soldiers detailed to make roads, dig intrenchments, etc., in advance of the main body.

4. Ecology. an organism that successfully establishes itself in a barren area, thus starting an ecological cycle of life.

5. Aerospace. Pioneer, one of a series of U.S. space probes that explored the solar system and transmitted scientific information to earth.

6. Pioneer, (formerly) a member of a Communist organization in the Soviet Union for children ranging in age from 10 to 16.

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verb (used without object)

1. to act as a pioneer.

verb (used with object)

1. to be the first to open or prepare (a way, settlement, etc.).

2. to take part in the beginnings of; initiate.

   to pioneer an aid program.

3. to lead the way for (a group); trailblaze.

adjective

1. being the earliest, original, first of a particular kind, etc..

   a pioneer method of adult education.

2. of, relating to, or characteristic of pioneers.

   pioneer justice.

3. being a pioneer.

   a pioneer fur trader.

pioneer ¹ British  

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

1. 1. a colonist, explorer, or settler of a new land, region, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a pioneer wagon

2. an innovator or developer of something new

3. military a member of an infantry group that digs entrenchments, makes roads, etc

4. ecology the first species of plant or animal to colonize an area of bare ground

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verb

1. to be a pioneer (in or of)

2. (tr) to initiate, prepare, or open up

   to pioneer a medical programme

Pioneer ² British  

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

1. a total abstainer from alcoholic drink, esp a member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association, a society devoted to abstention

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Pioneer ³ British  

/ ˌpaɪəˈnɪə /

noun

1. any of a series of US spacecraft that studied the solar system, esp Pioneer 10, which made the first flyby of Jupiter (1973), and Pioneer 11, which made the first flyby of Saturn (1979)

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Etymology

Origin of pioneer

First recorded in 1515–25; from Middle French pionier, Old French peonier “foot soldier”; peon ¹, -eer

Example Sentences

"And never in a thousand years did I ever think that Victor would take it to heart and take it to the Moon, which is what he's done," the pioneering astronaut told AFP.

From Barron's

While it’s true that the Guggenheim Foundation was a major funder, it’s worthwhile to recall that aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh brought about that connection.

From The Wall Street Journal

Helping drive the sector down is the fear that privately held artificial intelligence pioneers Anthropic and OpenAI will upend many companies offering business-to-business software products.

From Barron's

The company pioneered the cash-and-carry model, allowing small-restaurant owners and other independent businesses to visit one of its warehouses to pick up food supplies at any time.

From The Wall Street Journal

A pioneer in computational neuroscience, Marr was best known for his work on vision, treating it as a multilevel system and not merely a system of neurons.

From The Wall Street Journal