as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants
believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of colonize
The film follows a mission to colonize a distant planet, and takes place on a spaceship populated by an army of young people who will give birth to the generation that will ultimately do the colonizing.
—
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Um, Chris happens to be indigenous, and indigenous peoples in, in the US and Canada have suffered horrible abuse at the hands of, of the colonizing states.
—Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2025
Del Toro’s character points out to DiCaprio that people like him—the indigenous, the colonized, the Zapatistas, the rebels in the hills of Cuba—have been fighting the American machine for several hundred years, which is only now being felt by those of liberal sentiment.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the natural fungal spores will colonize, and decomposition will begin.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonize
Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
Um, Chris happens to be indigenous, and indigenous peoples in, in the US and Canada have suffered horrible abuse at the hands of, of the colonizing states.
—Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2025
Del Toro’s character points out to DiCaprio that people like him—the indigenous, the colonized, the Zapatistas, the rebels in the hills of Cuba—have been fighting the American machine for several hundred years, which is only now being felt by those of liberal sentiment.
—Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the natural fungal spores will colonize, and decomposition will begin.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 4 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonize
Verb
-
Any of these entry points can become the path for ants, spiders, and rodents to inhabit the indoor space.—
Malana VanTyler,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The music video is a single shot of Welch in the back of a car, singing along in a suit, sporting shades and a cigar, both mocking and inhabiting the position of male dominance.—
Grace Byron,
New Yorker,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Each of the first three hours that premiered Tuesday combine a case of the week — populated by impressively recognizable faces like Judith Light, Elizabeth Berkley Lauren, Jessica Simpson and Rick Springfield — with ongoing concerns about the main characters’ love lives.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
-
For instance, the Bangladesh delta, one of the most fertile and densely populated areas in the world, is already experiencing problems, including salinity intrusion, rising sea levels and the loss of arable land.—
Pintu Kumar Mahla,
The Conversation,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Throughout Humphreys County and Hickman County, peopled gathered with their churches for support and comfort in the days after the tragedy.—
Beth Warren,
Nashville Tennessean,
12 Oct. 2025
-
The Master is the greatest of them all, a movie peopled by characters who are at once intensely human and also the stuff of otherworldly fables.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonize. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share