Colonies
Britishplural noun
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the subject territories formerly in the British Empire
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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wall panels remind us of the Townshend Acts, the Tea Act and the Boston Massacre, all seminal events that led the Colonies to eventually break away from Britain.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025
By the late 1770s, the Revolution in what is known as the Middle Colonies had become a brutal civil war.
From Salon • Sep. 16, 2025
The four were indicted in 2011 on multiple charges stemming from a land dispute between the county and Colonies Partners.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2025
Colonies consist of hundreds of individuals linked in chains that can be up to several meters long.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2024
They won’t even bother to ship you to the Colonies.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
