Meanings
pension1
nounpension (plural pensions)
plural pensions
- businessAn annuity paid regularly as benefit due to a retired employee, serviceman etc. in consideration of past services, originally and chiefly by a government but also by various private pension schemes.First known use 16th c.
Many old people depend on their pension to pay the bills.
Synonyms: superannuation
- A sum paid to a clergyman in place of tithes.
verbpension (third-person singular simple present pensions, present participle pensioning, simple past and past participle pensioned)
present singular third person pensions · participle present pensioning · participle past pensioned · past pensioned
- transitiveTo grant a pension to.
pension2
nounpension (plural pensions)
plural pensions
- A boarding house or small hotel, especially in continental Europe, which typically offers lodging and certain meals and services.First known use 17th c.
A pension had somewhat less to offer than a hotel; it was always smaller, and never elegant; it sometimes offered breakfast, and sometimes not
1978, John Irving, The World According to Garp - obsoleteA boarding school in France, Belgium, Switzerland, etc.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn annuity paid regularly as benefit due to a retired employee, serviceman etc. in consideration of past services, originally and chiefly by a government but also by various private pension schemes.
Similar
nounA charge or expense of some kind; a tax.
Similar
verbTo force (someone) to retire on a pension.
Similar
Narrower
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
pension · noun, verb
- Latinpēnsiō“payment, weight, rent, compensation”
- Old Frenchpencion
- Anglo-Normanpencione
- Middle Englishpencioun
- Englishpension
From Middle English pencioun, pensioun, from Anglo-Norman pencione, Old French pencion, and their source, Latin pēnsiō (“payment, weight, rent, compensation”), from the participle stem of pendō (“to weigh”). Doublet of pensione.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old French
Full word history & related roots →pension · noun
- Old Frenchpencion
- Frenchpension
- Englishpension
From French pension, from Old French pencion, as etymology 1 above. Doublet of pensione.
More words from French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَعَاش, بَنْسِيُون
- مَعَاش (maʕāš)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- بَنْسِيُون (bansiyūn)boarding house
Bengali পেনশন, অবসরভাতা
- পেনশন (penośon)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- অবসরভাতা (obśorbhata)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Bulgarian пе́нсия, отпускам пенсия
- пе́нсия (pénsija)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- отпускам пенсия (otpuskam pensija)to grant a pension
- пенсионирам (pensioniram)to force to retire
- пансио́н (pansión)boarding house
Catalan pensió, pensionar
- pensióregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionarto grant a pension
- pensióboarding house
Chinese Mandarin 養老金 /养老金, 退休金
- 養老金 /养老金 (yǎnglǎojīn)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- 退休金 (tuìxiūjīn)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- 年金 (niánjīn)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- 撫恤金 /抚恤金 (fǔxùjīn)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- 招待所 (zhāodàisuǒ)boarding house
- 膳宿公寓 (shànsù gōngyù)boarding house
Czech důchod, penze
- důchodregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- penzeregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- penzionboarding house
Danish pension
- pensionregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Dutch pensioen, pension
- pensioenregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensioenstated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- lijfrentestated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- pensionerento grant a pension
- een pensioen verlenento grant a pension
- pensionerento force to retire
- met pensioen sturento force to retire
- pensionboarding house
Esperanto pensio, pensiono
- pensioregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionoboarding house
Estonian pension
- pensionregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Finnish eläke, määräraha
- eläkeregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- määrärahastated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- myöntää eläketo grant a pension
- siirtää eläkkeelleto force to retire
- matkakotiboarding house
- majataloboarding house
French pension, retraite
- pensionregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- retraiteregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionerto grant a pension
- pensionnerto grant a pension
- pensionboarding house
German Pension, Rente
- Pensionregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- Renteregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionierento force to retire
- in den Ruhestand versetzento force to retire
- Pensionboarding house
Greek σύνταξη, επίδομα
- σύνταξη (sýntaxi)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- επίδομα (epídoma)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- επιχορήγηση (epichorígisi)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- επιδότηση (epidótisi)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- συνταξιοδοτώ (syntaxiodotó)to grant a pension
- συνταξιοδοτώ (syntaxiodotó)to force to retire
- πανσιόν (pansión)boarding house
- οικοτροφείο (oikotrofeío)boarding house
Hebrew פֶּנְסִיָּה, גמלה
- פֶּנְסִיָּה (pénsya)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- גמלה (gimlah)to force to retire
Hindi पेंशन, अनुवृत्ति
- पेंशन (penśan)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- अनुवृत्ति (anuvŕtti)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
Hungarian nyugdíj, panzió
- nyugdíjregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- panzióboarding house
Indonesian pensiun
- pensiunregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Irish pinsean
- pinseanregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Italian pensione, assegno
- pensioneregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- assegnoregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionareto force to retire
- pensioneboarding house
Japanese 年金, ペンション
- 年金 (nenkin)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- ペンション (penshon)boarding house
- 寄宿舎 (kishukusha)boarding house
- 下宿屋 (geshakuya)boarding house
Korean 연금, 년금
- 연금 (yeon'geum)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- 년금 (nyeon'geum)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- 펜션 (pensyeon)boarding house
- 하숙집 (hasukjip)boarding house
Latin annuum
- annuumregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Latvian pensija
- pensijaregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Lithuanian pensija
- pensijaregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Malay pencen, pensiun
- pencenregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensiunregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Māori penihana
- penihanaregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Norwegian pensjon, pensjonat
- pensjonregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensjonatboarding house
Norwegian Bokmål pensjonere, pensjonere
- pensjonereto grant a pension
- pensjonereto force to retire
Polish emerytura, pensjonat
- emeryturaregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensjonatboarding house
Portuguese pensão, aposentadoria
- pensãoregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- aposentadoriaregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionarto grant a pension
- aposentarto force to retire
- pensãoboarding house
Romanian pensie
- pensieregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Russian пе́нсия, посо́бие
- пе́нсия (pénsija)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- посо́бие (posóbije)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- посо́бие (posóbije)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- по́мощь (pómoščʹ)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- пансиона́т (pansionát)boarding house
- пансио́н (pansión)boarding house
Scottish Gaelic peinnsean
- peinnseanregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Slovak dôchodok, penzia
- dôchodokregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- penziaregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- penziónboarding house
Spanish pensión, pensionar
- pensiónregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionarto grant a pension
- pensiónboarding house
Swedish pension, pensionat
- pensionregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- pensionatboarding house
Tamil ஓய்வூதியம்
- ஓய்வூதியம் (ōyvūtiyam)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Thai บำนาญ, หอพัก
- บำนาญ (bam-naan)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- หอพัก (hɔ̌ɔ-pák)boarding house
Turkish emeklilik, emekli maaşı
- emeklilikregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- emekli maaşıregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Ukrainian пе́нсія, допомо́га
- пе́нсія (pénsija)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- допомо́га (dopomóha)stated regular allowance by way of patronage or subsidy
- пансіона́т (pansionát)boarding house
- пансіо́н (pansión)boarding house
Urdu پینْشَن
- پینْشَن (penśan)regular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Vietnamese hưu bổng, lương hưu
- hưu bổngregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
- lương hưuregular payment due to a person in consideration of past services
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with pension
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All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
pension. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pension
MLA
“pension.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pension. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pension,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pension.
Source: pension on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.