pension
PEHNSHN
Pension (noun) means a regular payment made to someone after they retire, based on their years of work. Example: “She retired at 65 and now lives on her pension.”
noun
1
A regular payment made to someone after they retire, based on their years of work.
"She retired at 65 and now lives on her pension."
"The company pension covers about half of his old salary."
"My grandfather gets a small pension every month from the factory where he worked."
2
A small guesthouse or hotel, especially in Continental Europe, offering rooms and meals.
"They stayed in a cozy pension near the Paris train station."
"We booked a family-run pension in the Austrian mountains, and breakfast was included."
"The pension had only six rooms, but the owner cooked dinner for every guest."
verb
1
To pay someone a pension, or to force them into retirement with one.
"The council agreed to pension the long-serving caretaker when he turned sixty-five."
"The firm pensioned off its older staff to cut costs."
"The airline pensioned off several senior pilots during the restructuring."
How to use pension
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMoney paid regularly to a retired worker, or (in Europe) a small guesthouse.
UK vs US
The "guesthouse" sense is common in French/German/Italian tourism but rarely used this way in American English.
Common pairings
draw a pension
pension scheme
company pension
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Word forms
- Plural
- pensions
- Third person singular
- pensions
- Past tense
- pensioned
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
She retired at 65 and now lives on her _____.
Etymology
From Latin pēnsiō ("payment, rent"), from pendō ("to weigh, pay").
Synonyms
View more →Related words
Rhymes for pension
region
ablation
allusion
emulsion
ideation
novation
diffusion
elocution
extension
oxidation
perfusion
selection
See all rhymes for pension →
Frequently asked questions
What does “pension” mean?
The word “pension” means a regular payment made to someone after they retire, based on their years of work. In plain terms, money paid regularly to a retired worker, or (in Europe) a small guesthouse.
How do you pronounce “pension”?
“Pension” is pronounced PEHNSHN (/ˈpɛnʃən/ in IPA).
How do you use “pension” in a sentence?
Here is “pension” used in a sentence: “She retired at 65 and now lives on her pension.”
What is another word for “pension”?
Words with a similar meaning to “pension” include rent, hotel, hostel, bed and breakfast and lodging place.
What part of speech is “pension”?
Depending on how it is used, “pension” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “pension” come from?
The word “pension” comes from Latin. From Latin pēnsiō ("payment, rent"), from pendō ("to weigh, pay").
Is “pension” a common word?
“Pension” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
How many meanings does “pension” have?
“Pension” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a regular payment made to someone after they retire, based on their years of work.
What is the difference between a pension and a salary?
A salary is the regular pay you receive while you are still working, whereas a pension is a regular payment made to you after you retire, based on your years of work.
Is 'pension' a verb as well as a noun?
Yes. As a verb, to pension someone means to pay them a pension, and the phrasal form 'pension off' means to send someone into retirement with a pension.
Does 'pension' also mean a guesthouse?
Yes. In several European countries, a pension is also a small hotel or boarding house that provides lodging, and often meals. In everyday English, however, the retirement-payment meaning is by far the most common.
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