colonisation, colonise

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col·​o·​ni·​sa·​tion, col·​o·​nise

British spellings of colonization, colonize

1

: an act or instance of colonizing: such as

a

: the establishing of a colony (see colony sense 1) : subjugation of a people or area especially as an extension of state power

The news arrives at a time of debate over how museums should handle artifacts acquired through colonization and conquest.

—Isis Davis-Marks

"… in contrast to their earlier colonization of the Caribbean, the Spanish encountered highly urbanized civilizations in Mesoamerica and continually equated them with those of the Islamic and Greco-Roman Mediterranean."

—David Carballo

b

: migration to and settlement in an inhabited or uninhabited area

the colonization of space/Mars

c(1)

biology : the spread and development of an organism in a new area or habitat

The colonization of land by eukaryotes probably was facilitated by a partnership (symbiosis) between a photosynthesizing organism … and a fungus.

—Daniel S. Heckman et al.

(2)

medical : the presence and multiplication of a microorganism (such as a bacterium) in or on a host or an inanimate object or surface

It is important to reassess wounds frequently to determine if there is colonization of bacteria within the wound.

—Emergency Medicine Reports

Adhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells is considered as necessary for probiotic microorganisms to colonize the large intestine, and colonization is important for beneficial health effects such as modulation of the immune system …

—O. D. Amund

… they significantly reduced the rate of bacterial colonization of the devices from 30% to 9% and cut the rate of infection in patients from 4% to 0.

—Carol Potera

d

: the act or practice of appropriating something that one does not own or have a right to

… the pop culture discourse is more open to considering the fraught dynamic of Western colonization of music rooted in Africa than it's ever been.

—Matthew Ismael Ruiz

It's a strange objection from someone who rails against the growing blandness of New York—the chain stores and suburban sensibilities, the colonization by the rich, the boring, the feloniously ahistoric.

—Ginia Bellafante

2

: the state of being colonized : subjugation by a foreign power

"If I am fighting our struggle on Indigenous territories, then I must also understand and be in solidarity with Indigenous struggles against colonization. To imagine our freedom without first recognizing and fighting for Indigenous sovereignty is impossible."

—El Jones

colonize

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verb

col·​o·​nize ˈkä-lə-ˌnīz 

variants also British colonise

colonized; colonizing; colonizes

1

a

transitive + intransitive : to take control of (a people or area) especially as an extension of state power : to claim (someone or something) as a colony

areas colonized by European powers

It [Aléria, France] was, at different times in history, colonized by the Greeks, Etruscans, Carthaginians, and Romans.

—Kristina Killgrove

Pacific Islanders—Hawaiians, Samoans, the Chamorro of Guam—were and remain colonized by the United States …

—Viet Thanh Nguyen

Before the U.S.'s occupation of the roughly 7,500 islands, Spain colonized the Philippines and Mexico concurrently for around 300 years …

—Amanda Albee

As the indigenous people of North America, Native Americans were colonized on their own land, the places to which they trace their social, cultural, and religious origins.

—Kate A. Berry et al.

Portuguese officials are keenly aware of their checkered legacy. They were the first Europeans to colonize in Asia …

—Mark Landler

b

transitive : to migrate to and settle in (an inhabited or uninhabited area) : to establish a colony in

the areas of New England colonized by the Puritans

… the seaside town of Puerto Madryn, named by the Welsh settlers who colonized the few river valleys of Patagonia.

—Anita McConnell

c transitive + intransitive

(1)

biology, of an organism : to spread to and develop in a new area or habitat

… usually the first plant to colonize newly formed sand spits and newly deposited sands on the barrier islands …

—Robert H. Mohlenbrock

(2)

medical, of a microorganism : to multiply in or on a host or an inanimate object or surface

C. diff. is a spore-forming, toxin-producing bacterium that can colonize the large intestine and wreak havoc there …

—Jane E. Brody

… the bacteria that colonize our gut and play a key role in keeping us healthy.

—Katie Hunt

Microorganisms, particularly normal skin flora, colonize and form biofilms quickly on catheter surfaces …

—Daryl S. Paulson

2

transitive : to take or make use of (something) without authority or right : appropriate

Parked cars have colonized city streets for so long that most people assume cars own the curb lane.

—Donald Shoup

"Before colonizing the artistic and intellectual work of Black people, white people should ask themselves questions such as, how can I contribute to this Black person's wellbeing? Am I studying this work for the explicit purpose of Black liberation, or are my motives fundamentally selfish?"

—Amanda Bennett

Synonyms of colonisation

Verb

• inhabit
• populate
• people

Examples of colonisation in a Sentence

Verb

The area was colonized in the 18th century.

Weeds quickly colonized the field.

The island had been colonized by plants and animals.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Unlike standard eye drops that get washed away by tears within minutes, living eye drops use bacteria that colonize the eye and continuously release therapeutic proteins after a single application. —Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 16 June 2026

The king got his way, and the British empire began recruiting from every corner of the globe, where one in four people—many who looked nothing like his pale, pinkish self—owed him their allegiance and loyalty, having been colonized by the Crown. —Literary Hub, 16 June 2026

In the late 17th century, France had colonized the western third of Hispaniola, the island that Haiti now shares with the Dominican Republic. —Julia Gaffield, The Conversation, 15 June 2026

The spores can then grow, colonize, and produce a toxin in the still-developing intestines. —Sarah Scott, Parents, 15 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for colonisation

• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration
• adulteration