Word
pension
Phoneticspen·sion, stress on the first syllable
/ˈpɛnʃən/
注意In Japanese, ペンション usually means “small Western-style holiday inn”. In English, a pension is usually money you get regularly after you stop working, not a place to stay.
주의In Korean, 펜션 usually means “holiday guesthouse or rental cottage”. In English a pension is usually money you get regularly after you retire, not a place to stay on holiday.
Definitions
01retirement money
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. money you receive regularly from the government or a company after you stop working because of your age.
n. a regular payment made during a person's retirement from an investment fund to which that person or their employer has contributed.
日本語:年金※
“My grandfather lives quite comfortably on his state pension and his savings.”
“The company faced significant criticism after failing to adequately fund the employee pension scheme during the economic downturn.”
02to give a pension
C1 · Advanced Formal
v. to give someone a pension or to make them retire with a pension.
v. to grant a pension to an individual, or to compel retirement by providing an annuity.
“The company decided to pension off several senior managers during the merger.”
“The civil servant was pensioned off after forty years of dedicated service to the ministry.”
Usage
Usually appears in the phrasal verb 'pension off'.
Synonyms
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “pension” in context.
Verb
01. contribute to a pension
“It is wise to start contributing to a pension as soon as you enter the workforce.”
verb + prep + noun
02. draw a pension
“My grandfather has been drawing a pension since he retired at sixty-five.”
verb + noun
03. live on a pension
“Many elderly people find it difficult to live on a state pension alone.”
verb + prep + noun
Adjective
04. occupational pension
“The company offers a generous occupational pension to all full-time employees.”
adj + noun
05. private pension
“She decided to set up a private pension to supplement her government benefits.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. pension age
“The government is considering raising the state pension age to sixty-eight.”
noun + noun
07. pension pot
“He was surprised by how much his pension pot had grown over the last decade.”
noun + noun
08. pension scheme
“The HR department provided details about the new company pension scheme.”
noun + noun
Real-World Examples
“He doesn't think he'll get any kind of state pension.” “And if we hadn’t done anything our aged pension cost would be higher than they are today.”
How much higher is too hard to say.” Etymology
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”).
From French pension, from Old French pencion, as etymology 1 above. Doublet of pensione.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Idioms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/pension
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「日本語」「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR