1
as in plantations
a settlement in a new country or region
the early history of New York City when it was a Dutch colony
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Recent Examples of colonies
Traditionally, America was at the forefront of decolonization and making the Europeans give up their colonies, forcing them to do so or putting pressure to do.
—
Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Social insect colonies are a great place for an epidemic to spread, according to Neil Tsutsui, a behavioral ecologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the research.
—Arundathi Nair, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
As the plantation colonies of the British and French Caribbean grew in the late 17th and 18th centuries, escapees formed maroon enclaves there as well.
—Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Massachusetts, Virginia and New York, among the colonies that became America’s first states, also have stacked calendars.
—New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Like the rulers of other European colonies, French colonial administrators sent in troops—known as the maréchaussée—to track down the maroon groups, but the French rarely negotiated.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
The celebration of the founding of the United States is everpresent in Connecticut — one of the 13 original colonies.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
Beekeepers said locating colonies now took hours instead of minutes.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
Their prophet, the woman who brought Shakerism from Manchester, England all the way to the American colonies in 1774, played by Amanda Seyfried, learns of the insubordination.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
Social insect colonies are a great place for an epidemic to spread, according to Neil Tsutsui, a behavioral ecologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the research.
—Arundathi Nair, NPR, 7 Jan. 2026
As the plantation colonies of the British and French Caribbean grew in the late 17th and 18th centuries, escapees formed maroon enclaves there as well.
—Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Massachusetts, Virginia and New York, among the colonies that became America’s first states, also have stacked calendars.
—New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Like the rulers of other European colonies, French colonial administrators sent in troops—known as the maréchaussée—to track down the maroon groups, but the French rarely negotiated.
—Literary Hub, 5 Jan. 2026
The celebration of the founding of the United States is everpresent in Connecticut — one of the 13 original colonies.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 4 Jan. 2026
Beekeepers said locating colonies now took hours instead of minutes.
—Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025
Their prophet, the woman who brought Shakerism from Manchester, England all the way to the American colonies in 1774, played by Amanda Seyfried, learns of the insubordination.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 25 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonies
Noun
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Besides entertainment, people come to a luau for the food – a feast combining Hawaiian and local fare brought by the immigrants who came in the 19th and 20th centuries to work on the plantations.—
Kathleen Wong,
USA Today,
15 Jan. 2026
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Based in Boston, the international corporation networked with dictators and local officials in Central America, many Caribbean islands and parts of South America to acquire immense estates for railroads and banana plantations.—
Aaron Coy Moulton,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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And some California communities are already sounding the alarm.—
Paul Sisson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Jan. 2026
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After unanimous pushback from the council, the plan is now on hold; however, Mendelsohn said taking away services from certain communities to save money isn't the answer.—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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As Ars Technica reports, space startup Vast has opted to build a smaller and more feasible interim station, dubbed Haven-1, which will serve as the precursor for much larger outposts capable of continuous habitation in the more distant future.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
22 Jan. 2026
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This Greek brand with outposts in the towns of Imerovigli and Oia alike stands out for its first-class views of the caldera.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonies. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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