colonization

noun

col·​o·​ni·​za·​tion ˌkä-lə-nə-ˈzā-shən 

variants also British colonisation

plural colonizations

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

colonizationist

ˌkä-lə-nə-ˈzā-sh(ə-)nist 

noun

also British colonisationist

plural colonizationists

Examples of colonization in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Before that, however, Gotland was independently ruled by Vikings, the Scandinavian groups known for their widespread, violent colonization beginning in the late eighth century. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Apr. 2024

But Cook's legacy – initiating a period of colonization that obscured the histories of Native Islanders – is being reexamined today. —David Morgan, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2024

One of Matias’s grandmothers was born in Mozambique, the daughter of Goans who settled in the African country during the Portuguese colonization campaigns, and later immigrated to Portugal. —Catarina Fernandes Martins, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024

The empire is known for the colonization of Taiwan and annexation of Korea to expand its territories. —Małgorzata (gosia) K. Citko-Duplantis, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2024

The issues are widely considered to be the legacy of colonization more than two centuries ago that deprived traditional owners of their ancestral lands. —Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024

Coupled with Japan’s own history of colonization, Adler said, speaking about the grief of Japanese people has almost felt taboo. —Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 11 Mar. 2024

That’s because Eliot wasn’t writing about colonization, exactly, or Palestine, either. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2024

Do: Ask about a community's true history and the impact of colonization and be prepared to listen. —Sophy Roberts, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1744, in the meaning defined at sense 1