crown colony

noun

often capitalized both Cs
: a British colony over which the Crown retains some control

Examples of crown colony in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Moya's homeland had once been a crown colony called Southern Rhodesia where, for more than half a century, the white colonial ruling class enriched itself at the expense of the Black majority. Hyder Abbasi, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2022 In 1960, Britain ceded control of the crown colony of Cyprus. BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2020 Scholars today believe that the unsigned letter was likely written by John Allan, an influential merchant and politician in Nova Scotia—today, one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces, but then a crown colony. John Hanc, Smithsonian, 5 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crown colony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crown colony was in 1828

Dictionary Entries Near crown colony

Cite this Entry

“Crown colony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crown%20colony. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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