Colonies

/ ˈkɒlənɪz /

plural noun

1. the subject territories formerly in the British Empire

2. history the 13 states forming the original United States of America when they declared their independence (1776). These were Connecticut, North and South Carolina, Delaware, Georgia, New Hampshire, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, and New Jersey

Example Sentences

By the late 1770s, the Revolution in what is known as the Middle Colonies had become a brutal civil war.

From Salon

The case involved corruption charges against three San Bernardino County officials and a developer who was a managing director of Rancho Cucamonga-based investor group Colonies Partners.

From Los Angeles Times

Resistance to their whims, even in speech, gets critics carted off to the Colonies to be worked to death if they didn’t immediately catch a bullet.

From Salon

Colonies consist of hundreds of individuals linked in chains that can be up to several meters long.

From Science Daily

Heavily taxed playing cards circulated in the American Colonies before the Revolutionary War.

From National Geographic

Related Words

• outpost 
• protectorate 
• province 
• territory