colonist

noun

col·o·nist | \ ˈkä-lə-nist

Definition of colonist

1 : a member or inhabitant of a colony

2 : one that colonizes or settles in a new country

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Examples of colonist in a Sentence

British colonists settled the area in the 18th century. over time the colonists began to sense that they were becoming a people unto themselves

Recent Examples on the Web

Historians think the ponies more likely escaped from colonists who grazed them on communal land in the more recent past. — Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, "Following in the Wake of a Storybook Pony," 8 July 2019 In 1775, at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, a small number of colonists stated their desire to separate from Great Britain. — Alex Aronson, Popular Mechanics, "Why July 2nd Is Actually America's True Independence Day," 21 June 2019 After a botched attempt to establish a settlement, Raleigh sent a second group of colonists in 1587, led by John White and comprising more families. — Gillian Brockell, Washington Post, "Dismissed as a forgery, could a mysterious stone found near Roanoke’s ‘Lost Colony’ be real?," 5 July 2018 For many years England’s Union Jack was the flag of America, and loyal colonists fought under it in various wars. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "From the Archives: Flag Day," 14 June 2019 But beginning in the late 1800s, French colonists began intensive logging to make way for export crops. — Paul Tullis, National Geographic, "How the sapphire trade is driving lemurs toward extinction," 6 Mar. 2019 But when the colonists crash-land on a planet named Pax, their focus becomes surviving among the planet’s hostile plant-life. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Our favorite science fiction and fantasy books of 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 Why did all those Native American wizards not mop the floor with Columbus, Cortés, Jackson, and all the other genocidaires Europe and its colonists sent their way? — BostonGlobe.com, "Why the Jewish students at Hogwarts have to be invisible," 9 Feb. 2018 Finally, your colonists will be able to escape from their tiny bubble-domes and wander a lush and lively Mars, thanks to the wonders of terraforming. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Yakuza Kiwami 2 confirmed for PC next month, H1Z1's new developers call it quits," 12 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'colonist.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.