colonist

noun

col·​o·​nist ˈkä-lə-nist 

plural colonists

see usage paragraph below

: a member or inhabitant of a colony (see colony sense 1)

the Jamestown/Plymouth colonists

especially : a person who migrates to and settles in a foreign area as part of a colony

Honeybees aren't native to North America; early colonists brought them over from Europe to provide honey and beeswax.

—Paige Embry

Usage of Colonist and Colonizer

Colonist and colonizer both have meanings closely tied to the word colonialism in its use referring to domination of a foreign people or area. Colonist, which comes directly from the noun colony, is the more common—and usually more neutral—term. Colonizer, which comes from the verb colonize, is used especially in contexts in which the exploitative nature of colonialism is being discussed or evoked; in phrases like "colonizer mindset/mentality" it implies a benefit from or even active participation in that exploitation.

Synonyms

• settler
• pioneer
• colonial

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

But first consider the majority of the text of the Declaration: a stirring enumeration of specific grievances by the American colonists against the British crown. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 July 2025

The courage that the colonists had, hungry for freedom, to start a new life here. —Nicole Russell, USA Today, 4 July 2025

Today, that country—and the 194 others around the globe—face an existential peril the American colonists could not have foreseen. —Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 3 July 2025

And centuries earlier, the colonists’ British forebears had brought an earlier monarch to heel, forcing King John to sign the Magna Carta and thereby setting a precedent of powerful limits on royal power. —Tom Shattuck, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1701, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for colonist

• stalinist

Kids Definition

colonist

noun

col·​o·​nist ˈkäl-ə-nəst 

1

: a person who lives in a colony

2

: a person who takes part in founding a colony