colonize

[ kol-uh-nahyz ]

/ ˈkɒl əˌnaɪz /

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See synonyms for: colonize / colonized / colonizing / colonization on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), col·o·nized, col·o·niz·ing.

to establish a colony in; settle: England colonized Australia.

to form a colony of: to colonize laborers in a mining region.

verb (used without object), col·o·nized, col·o·niz·ing.

to form a colony: They went out to Australia to colonize.

to settle in a colony.

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Also especially British, col·o·nise .

Origin of colonize

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

OTHER WORDS FROM colonize

col·o·niz·a·ble, adjectivecol·o·niz·a·bil·i·ty, nouncol·o·ni·za·tion, nouncol·o·ni·za·tion·ist, noun

col·o·niz·er, nounin·ter·col·o·ni·za·tion, nounin·ter·col·o·nize, verb, in·ter·col·o·nized, in·ter·col·o·niz·ing.re·col·o·ni·za·tion, nounre·col·o·nize, verb (used with object), re·col·o·nized, re·col·o·niz·ing.un·col·o·nize, verb (used with object), un·col·o·nized, un·col·o·niz·ing.well-col·o·nized, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use colonize in a sentence

The outdoor gardens represent what the American landscape looked like before it was colonized.
You have until Nov. 22 to visit these six Smithsonian museums. Here’s what to expect.|Kelsey Ables|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
If we don’t take care of what’s inside of us, the colonized world teaches us to become aggressive and hurt our own people.
Alaska’s “Him Too” Moment: When Politicians and Allies Come With Accusations of Their Own|by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News and Greg Kim, KYUK|October 23, 2020|ProPublica
Restaurants shut down dining rooms but shift out into the street, colonizing curbside parking for “streateries” and expanding into the digital realm through multiple delivery platforms.
The Self-Driving Car Is a Red Herring - Issue 92: Frontiers|Anthony Townsend|October 21, 2020|Nautilus
They determined that random fluctuations in the rates at which the two bacterial species colonized the worms led to sizable differences in the worms’ fully assembled microbiomes.
A Physicist’s Approach to Biology Brings Ecological Insights|Gabriel Popkin|October 13, 2020|Quanta Magazine

The enormous cost of lifting material into space means that any serious effort to colonize the solar system will require us to rely on resources beyond our atmosphere.
Space Mining Should Be a Global Project—But It’s Not Starting Off That Way|Edd Gent|October 12, 2020|Singularity Hub
In this historically loaded setting, Agbodjélou reclaims control for the colonized ‘other’ in the form of a masked female gaze.
Saatchi Resurrects Ancient Pangaea with Show Featuring South American and African Artists|Chloë Ashby|April 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For 300 years, Europeans and Americans colonized much of Africa and enslaved millions of its people.
Why Africa’s Turning Anti-Gay|Jay Michaelson|March 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Koreans have long chafed that the body of water is named after Japan, which colonized Korea in the early 20th century.
Virginia Gets In Middle Of Geography Fight Between Japan And South Korea|Ben Jacobs|February 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We were colonized by the English language, and in turn, colonized it.
How I Write: Paul Lynch|Noah Charney|December 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They seek to live in harmony with the new planet they have colonized.
Nerdiness from Noah: Alpha Centauri|Noah Kristula-Green|March 29, 2013|DAILY BEAST
When the Penns colonized Pennsylvania, they claimed the 39th degree parallel as their southern boundary.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
It was the next year colonized, and planted with the Cyprian vine and sugar cane of Sicily.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
They had settled in the country, colonized it, and cleared it; in a word, they ended by regarding it as a new country.
The Border Rifles|Gustave Aimard
The reason for this is that it was the Spaniards who colonized South America in the sixteenth century.
Stories That Words Tell Us|Elizabeth O'Neill
It was with very different plans and principles that North America was colonized.
The Indian in his Wigwam|Henry R. Schoolcraft

British Dictionary definitions for colonize

colonize

colonise

/ (ˈkɒləˌnaɪz) /

verb

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

to settle in (an area) as colonists

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

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

Derived forms of colonize

colonizable or colonisable, adjectivecolonization or colonisation, nouncolonizer or coloniser, noun

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

colonize

Origin of colonize

OTHER WORDS FROM colonize

Words related to colonize

How to use colonize in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for colonize

colonise

Derived forms of colonize