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
The chef Gregory Gourdet, the son of Haitian immigrants, approaches France from the view of the colonies, moving from Vietnam to Louisiana but ever circling back to the Caribbean and its wealth of plantains, salt cod, Scotch bonnets, pikliz and not-so-humble rice and beans.
—
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
France has long maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway over its former colonies dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
Whether other wasp colonies are around is not always a deal breaker.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
In the early 18th century, the American colonies suffered a depression-level economic contraction.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 May 2026
The conventional wisdom is that there's not much to do on this Ionian side of Calabria except go to the beach or maybe visit the overgrown remains of ancient Greek colonies like Locri or Sybaris.
—Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 May 2026
The law should go into effect this month, helping to fulfill President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 promise of returning African heritage to the continent, with the hope of bolstering diplomatic relations with France’s former colonies.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 8 May 2026
Ant colonies start to grow, and spiders come out of their overwintering sites to start hunting.
—Kody Boye, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2026
Burnard and O’Shaughnessy point out that, whereas Britain regularly sent nobles to govern the Caribbean colonies—and dukes and earls to Ireland—the men appointed to administer the thirteen colonies more often lacked titles and were paid less.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Ligaya Mishan, New York Times, 11 May 2026
France has long maintained a policy of economic, political and military sway over its former colonies dubbed Françafrique, which included keeping thousands of troops in the region.
—ABC News, 11 May 2026
Whether other wasp colonies are around is not always a deal breaker.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 May 2026
In the early 18th century, the American colonies suffered a depression-level economic contraction.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 May 2026
The conventional wisdom is that there's not much to do on this Ionian side of Calabria except go to the beach or maybe visit the overgrown remains of ancient Greek colonies like Locri or Sybaris.
—Lee Marshall, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 May 2026
The law should go into effect this month, helping to fulfill President Emmanuel Macron’s 2017 promise of returning African heritage to the continent, with the hope of bolstering diplomatic relations with France’s former colonies.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 8 May 2026
Ant colonies start to grow, and spiders come out of their overwintering sites to start hunting.
—Kody Boye, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2026
Burnard and O’Shaughnessy point out that, whereas Britain regularly sent nobles to govern the Caribbean colonies—and dukes and earls to Ireland—the men appointed to administer the thirteen colonies more often lacked titles and were paid less.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonies
Noun
-
Because sugar plantations were so large and enslaved populations were so preponderant, whites feared that any tumult would end with their heads on pikes.—
Daniel Immerwahr,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Pinot Noir plantations only account for about 14,000 acres and rank as the number two grape grown.—
Mike DeSimone,
Robb Report,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
These are trade-offs that can be negotiated, at both the local and national levels, to benefit our communities.—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
-
This honor celebrates Domingo’s career as an actor and filmmaker, along with his work to champion underrepresented communities.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
Mexico’s network of diplomatic outposts is by far the most extensive in the United States.—
Matthew Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
-
The Administration listed field offices for closure, then delisted them, though some rural outposts, in Iowa, Montana, and West Virginia, offer only phone service owing to the loss of staff.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonies. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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