crown colony

American

noun

a British colony in which the crown has the entire control of legislation and administration, as distinguished from one having a constitution and representative government.

crown colony British

noun

a British colony whose administration and legislature is controlled by the Crown

"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

Etymology

Origin of crown colony

First recorded in 1835–45

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.

See Examples For:

crown colony

Because Trinidad was still a crown colony at the time, my father actually entered Canada on a British passport.

From Salon ● Jul. 29, 2023

It was given to Edward VII on his 66th birthday by the government of the Transvaal - a former British crown colony - in what is now South Africa.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2023

The bases – a legacy of Cyprus’ past as a former crown colony – are home to nearly 6,000 British military personnel and their dependents.

From The Guardian ● May 14, 2020

Indeed it was so in this republic even before it was a republic, when it was just another crown colony in His Majesty’s empire.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 11, 2016

It is a British crown colony, with its own government and its own courts.

From Drugging a Nation The Story of China and the Opium Curse by Merwin, Samuel

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