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Synonyms

plantation

1 American  
[plan-tey-shuhn] / plænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. a large farm or estate in a tropical or semitropical zone, for the cultivation of cotton, tobacco, coffee, sugarcane, etc., typically by enslaved, unpaid, or low-wage resident laborers.

  2. a group of planted trees or plants.

  3. History/Historical.

    1. a colony or new settlement.

    2. the establishment of a colony or new settlement.

  4. Archaic. the planting of seeds, young trees, etc.

adjective

  1. (of clothing, furnishings, etc.) suitable for a plantation or for a tropical or semitropical country.

Plantation 2 American  
[plan-tey-shuhn] / plænˈteɪ ʃən /

noun

  1. a town in S Florida.

plantation British  
/ plænˈteɪʃən /

noun

  1. an estate, esp in tropical countries, where cash crops such as rubber, oil palm, etc, are grown on a large scale

  2. a group of cultivated trees or plants

  3. (formerly) a colony or group of settlers

  4. rare the planting of seeds, shoots, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • plantationlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of plantation

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English plantacioune, from Latin plantātiōn- (stem of plantātiō ) “a planting”; plant (verb), -ation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And there is no sign yet that other projects linked to large-scale deforestation, including a food and energy plantation plan in South Papua, will be halted in this drive.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

Strauss notes that plantation teak is still the most popular among his customers.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

The company fits decks using either plantation teak mostly sourced from India, or a small handful of alternatives it has had good success with.

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

A rubber plantation was the next step in the founder’s goal of total in-house production.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

Divided into two groups, they moved as quietly as they could through the plantation and into the surrounding jungle in single-file lines, searching for the North Vietnamese.

From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.