colonize

American  

[kol-uh-nahyz] / ˈkɒl əˌnaɪz /

especially British, colonise

verb (used with object)

colonized, colonizing

1. 1. (of a nation or government) to claim and forcibly take control of (a territory other than its own), usually sending some of its own people to settle there.

      England colonized Australia.

   2. to move from one’s own country and settle in (such a territory).

      Dutch farmers were among the first Europeans to colonize the river valleys of New Jersey and New York.

2. to be the first settlers in.

   Southern Pacific islanders are thought to have colonized Hawaii around a.d. 450.

3. to compel or induce (people) to settle in an area for economic or political purposes.

   The government made efforts to colonize laborers and their families in areas suitable for growing rice.

4. Biology. (of a species of plant or animal) to move or be transported to (a new habitat) and seek to become established there.

   Arthropods were the first animal species to colonize land around 450 million years ago.

5. Microbiology, Medicine/Medical. (of a microbe) to multiply on or in (another organism), especially without causing infection or disease.

   Researchers attempted to get the bacteria in a probiotic to successfully colonize the intestines of 23 volunteers.

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verb (used without object)

colonized, colonizing

1. to take control of or settle in territories other than one’s own.

   Many other European powers were colonizing during the modern period besides France.

   When the British colonized in Australia, the basic rights of Aboriginals were taken away.

colonize British  

/ ˈkɒləˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to send colonists to or establish a colony in (an area)

2. to settle in (an area) as colonists

3. (tr) to transform (a community) into a colony

4. (of plants and animals) to become established in (a new environment)

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Other Word Forms

• colonizability
  noun
• colonizable
  adjective
• colonization
  noun
• colonizationist
  noun
• colonizer
  noun
• intercolonization
  noun
• intercolonize
  verb
• recolonization
  noun
• recolonize
  verb (used with object)
• uncolonize
  verb (used with object)
• well-colonized
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of colonize

First recorded in 1615–25; colon(y) + -ize

Explanation

To colonize is to settle in, and take control of, land outside your own borders. Usually, a large, powerful country colonizes a territory or area that's much less powerful. There are many examples through history of powerful countries that colonized various regions of the world in order to gain natural resources or to obtain more land for their citizens to live in. When this happens, it's rarely good news for the people who lived there already. Colonize and colony come from the Latin colonus, "tenant farmer" or "settler in new land," from the root colere, "to cultivate, till, or inhabit."

Example Sentences

Who knows if Mr. Musk will every colonize Mars, but the surest bet is never to bet against American innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Likewise, the U.S. early in World War II stopped Japan from seaborne oil imports—targeting the very vulnerability Tokyo had sought to offset by trying to colonize its resource-rich Asian neighbors.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

The study found that diets rich in casein, the primary protein found in milk and cheese, along with wheat gluten, greatly reduced how much cholera bacteria could colonize the gut.

From Science Daily • Apr. 7, 2026

These "whale fall" sites create temporary but rich ecosystems where microbes quickly colonize and flourish.

From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026

There had once been missions to colonize Mars, to explore Jupiter’s moons, and even to launch to the stars beyond, but every mission had ended in utter and disastrous failure.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• conquer