pioneer

Pluralpioneers

Formspioneers, pioneering, pioneered

1. 1
   nouncountable

   A person, group, or organization that leads the way as the first, or one of the first, to explore a new area of research, business, or development.

   Marie Curie is celebrated as a pioneer of radioactivity research.

   These researchers were pioneers in mapping the human genome.

   Similartrailblazer, innovator, pathfinder

   Note

   In the figurative sense, the word names whoever breaks the ground in ideas or enterprise. The field usually follows with of: pioneers of reform, pioneers of civilization. It is often a title other people confer, as in "considered to be pioneers," more than one a person claims for themselves. The sense is not limited to individuals, since a group, movement or other entity can be a pioneer too.

2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To do or accomplish something before anyone else has, clearing a path that others can follow.

   Her lab pioneered techniques that transformed cancer treatment.

   Engineers continue to pioneer methods for capturing carbon from the air.

   Similardevelop, originate, introduce, spearhead

   Note

   As a transitive verb, it puts the achievement directly in object position: one pioneers a technique, a treatment or a method. The noun handles the same idea differently, taking of before the field, as with the trailblazer meaning. When rephrasing "a pioneer of new surgery," the verb version becomes "pioneered new surgery," with no preposition.

3. 3
   nouncountable

   A person who goes ahead into unsettled territory, such as wilderness, preparing the way for others to follow.

   Pioneers pushed westward, building cabins and clearing fields along the way.

   He was hailed as a pioneer of the frontier settlements.

   Similarsettler, frontiersman, trailblazer

   Note

   The settler's sense keeps the word's military past close to the surface. Middle French pionnier first meant a foot soldier, from Old French peon, the same root behind the chess pawn. The earliest pioneers walked ahead and cleared the way. That idea of preparing a path for those who come after carries into every later use of the word.

4. 4
   nouncountable

   A soldier assigned to build roads, dig trenches, and construct bridges as an army advances; a sapper.

   Regiments of pioneers went ahead to bridge the river before the cavalry arrived.

   The army relied on every pioneer to prepare the ground for the advance.

   Similarsapper, engineer

   Note

   These soldiers did field engineering rather than fighting: they dug, bridged and cleared ground for the troops behind them, which makes sapper a close synonym. Marlowe's Tamburlaine the Great (c. 1587–1588) spells the word Pioners and sets captive pioneers to cut off a city's piped water, which is siege work. The foot-soldier origin described under the frontier sense lies nearest the surface here.

5. 5
   nouncountable

   A member of any of several European organizations whose members pledge to abstain from alcohol.

   Her uncle became a pioneer after taking the temperance pledge as a young man.

   The local pioneers gathered each month to renew their commitment to abstinence.

   Similarteetotaler, abstainer

6. 6
   nouncountable

   A member of a children's organization run by the Communist Party, typically the second of three stages on the way to Party membership.

   Every schoolchild aspired to become a pioneer and wear the red kerchief.

   The pioneers spent their summers at camps organized by the Party.

   Note

   In Communist youth organizations the word is a rank, not a compliment. A child becomes a pioneer by joining, at the middle of three stages leading toward Party membership, and does not have to do anything first. That makes it closer to a membership title than to the trailblazer meaning, even though the name was clearly chosen to borrow that meaning's glow.

7. 7
   nounSingaporecountable

   Alternative letter-case form of Pioneer.

   Each pioneer qualifies for subsidized healthcare under the national scheme.

   Singapore's pioneers were celebrated for their role in the country's early development.

   Note

   Singapore's policy term, here written without its capital, refers to someone born on or before 31 December 1949 who is entitled to particular healthcare and social support. Its most common setting is the phrase pioneer generation, as in Kelly Ng's 2017 report in Today on a museum capturing "the spirit and struggles of Singapore's pioneer generation." The capitalized and lowercase spellings name the same people.

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