pioneer

Meaning

Noun

1. One who goes before, as into the wilderness, preparing the way for others to follow.
2. A person or other entity who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress.
3. A soldier detailed or employed to form roads, dig trenches, and make bridges, as an army advances; a sapper.
4. A member of any of several European organizations advocating abstinence from alcohol.
5. A member of a children’s organization operated by the Communist Party, typically in the second of three stages toward becoming a member of the Party itself.
6. (Singapore, alt-of) Alternative letter-case form of Pioneer (“A Singaporean born on or before 31 December 1949, who is entitled to various healthcare and social support schemes.”).

Verb

To be the first to do or achieve (something), preparing the way for others to follow.

Synonyms

forerunner

pathfinder

founder

trailblazer

precursor

leader

originator

herald

initiate

innovator

settler

groundbreaker

discoverer

lead

harbinger

predecessor

colonist

ancestor

seer

settle

open up

colonize

vanguard

lead the way

learned man

enlightened person

guide

pave the way

predecessors

engineer

beginner

🔰

root

sapper

scout

senior

spark off

spearhead

squatter

start

trail-blazer

transplant

youngster

take the lead

leading spirit

charging ahead of others

first to charge

go in front

clear a path

earliest explorer

ground breaker

Translations

pionnier

Pionier

pioniere

pionero

pioneiro

Wegbereiter

pionier

pioner

baanbreker

genist

πρωτοπόρος

geniesoldaat

voortrekker

Bahnbrecher

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˌpaɪ.əˈnɪə(ɹ)/

Etymology

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