colonize

verb col·o·nize \ ˈkä-lə-ˌnīz \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Examples: colonize in a Sentence

Definition of colonize

colonized; colonizing

transitive verb

1 a : to establish a colony in or on or of

colonize an island

b : to establish in a colony

the rights of colonized people

2 : to send illegal or irregularly qualified voters into

colonizing doubtful districts

3 : to infiltrate with usually subversive militants for propaganda and strategy reasons

colonize industries

intransitive verb

: to make or establish a colony : settle

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colonizer

noun

See colonize defined for English-language learners

See colonize defined for kids

Examples of colonize in a Sentence

The area was colonized in the 18th century.
Weeds quickly colonized the field.
The island had been colonized by plants and animals.

Recent Examples of colonize from the Web

At one end, three young men have colonized the blond-wood sittable steps, which would not look out of place in a tech company’s office, and are playing a street-fighting game on a laptop.

— alexandra lange, Curbed, "Young adult architecture," 24 May 2018
Or maybe a woman’s fertility could be extended so that humans could colonize Mars, and the universe beyond, as billionaire Elon Musk imagines.

— ariana eunjung cha, Washington Post, "This fertility doctor is pushing the boundaries of human reproduction, with little regulation," 14 May 2018
In 1957, the first major publication about the site was released, revealing that Jarlshof was first colonized by Stone Age Scots, perhaps as early as 2,500 B.C.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "A History Nerd Will Get to Spend the Summer Guiding Visitors Through 4,000 Years of History," 28 Apr. 2018
Experts say it’s not a sign that the newcomers are colonizing local rivers, though.

— lynda v. mapes, The Seattle Times, "8 months after farmed-fish escape, lively Atlantic salmon caught 40 miles upriver," 20 Apr. 2018
This cycle of mimetic exhibitionism holds even for metaphysical things like moral values, which in a world colonized by capitalism have become a wearable commodity.

— susan crawford, WIRED, "Mark Zuckerberg Plays the Scapegoat for Our Facebook Sins," 17 Apr. 2018
While most of Pope Valley was colonized long ago by big-name companies headquartered elsewhere — Chanel, Levi Strauss, Gallo, Hess, Terlato, Hall, Beringer — no one advertises the fruit source in their marketing materials.

— esther mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, "Is Napa running out of land for vineyards?," 22 Feb. 2018
Could there be better evidence that the country has been colonized by Cuba?

— mary anastasia o’grady, WSJ, "Venezuela’s Sham Election," 20 May 2018
Based on the novel series by James S.A. Corey (the pen name for Abraham and Ty Franck), The Expanse is set two centuries in the future after humans have colonized the solar system.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "The Expanse’s third season will be its last on the Syfy channel," 11 May 2018

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

First Known Use of colonize

1622

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

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colonize Synonyms

COLONIZE Defined for English Language Learners

colonize

verb

Definition of colonize for English Language Learners

: to create a colony in or on (a place) : to take control of (an area) and send people to live there
: to move into and live in (a place) as a new type of plant or animal