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.
The man who immortalized the man who made a midnight ride to Lexington left the Colonies in 1774, moved to London, and never returned.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
Colonies without sterols stopped producing brood after about 90 days.
From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026
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 case involved corruption charges against three San Bernardino County officials and a developer who was a managing director of Rancho Cucamonga-based investor group Colonies Partners.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2025
I wonder what the pledge sounded like before we went to war against the Colonies.
From "Legend" by Marie Lu
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.
