colonist

American  

[kol-uh-nist] / ˈkɒl ə nɪst /

noun

1. an inhabitant of a colony.

2. a member of a colonizing expedition.

3. (often initial capital letter) an inhabitant of the 13 British colonies that became the United States of America.

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colonist British  

/ ˈkɒlənɪst /

noun

1. a person who settles or colonizes an area

2. an inhabitant or member of a colony

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Etymology

Origin of colonist

An Americanism dating back to 1695–1705; colon(y) + -ist

Example Sentences

Major battles are retold using dioramas, interactive maps and narratives that focus on the broader war between the upstart colonists and the British.

From The Wall Street Journal

The story is rudimentary: Elongated blue cat people prepare for a gigantic battle with the nasty, militarized, heartless, corporation-backed human colonists, or “sky people.”

From The Wall Street Journal

In the Wong Kim Ark ruling, the court relied on this “customary law of England, brought to America by the colonists.”

From Salon

Spain, the dominant power in the region, didn’t look on the project kindly and attacked the Scottish colonists.

From The Wall Street Journal

Thanksgiving is thought to be modeled on a 1621 harvest meal between the Wampanoag people and English colonists known as Pilgrims.

From Barron's

Related Words

• colonizer