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 of colonist

• 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

In 1774, for example, many colonists responded to the Coercive Acts targeting Boston with days of prayer and fasting that also functioned as economic boycotts. —JSTOR Daily, 24 Nov. 2025

The colonists took up where Tippu Tip left off, plundering the forests for ivory and other resources. —Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025

Still, tea is entwined in American history from the very beginning, even before colonists angry with tariffs dumped tons of it in Boston Harbor. —Matt Sedensky, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2025

And these pooches seem to have been well-traveled, even millennia ago; previous work by Frantz and collaborators suggests dogs living in North America before the arrival of European colonists originally came from Eurasia, as humans did. —Veronique Greenwood, Time, 14 Nov. 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