Synonyms of colonies

colonies

noun

plural of colony

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• plantations
• outposts
• territories
• camps
• protectorates
• habitations
• possessions
• diasporas
• dependencies
• posts
• exclaves
• mandates

2

as in communities

a group of people with a common interest living in one place

New Hampshire's MacDowell colony was founded as a summer residence for writers and composers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• communities
• families
• societies
• companies
• troops
• circles
• coteries
• cliques
• bands
• sets
• clans

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of colonies

As the colonies grow, more layers of sediment are trapped and solidified beneath them by biofilms that the organisms produce, causing the whole colony to build upward in layers, like the pages in this book. — Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2026

Cooling to below 50° C (122° F) took up to 5 million years, still enough heat for colonies of microbes to thrive. — Elizabeth Rayne, ArsTechnica, 30 Sep. 2026

Police are continuing their investigation and are appealing for information that could help locate the missing colonies or identify those responsible. — Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 27 Sep. 2026

Management of cat colonies that don’t have that impact is left up to cities and counties, and some consider feral cats a public nuisance and allow their animal control officers to trap and remove them. — Michael L. Hyman, Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2026

Because Charles remains Jamaica’s head of state, the island nation was able to directly petition him using an ancient legal mechanism that former colonies that have already transitioned to republics cannot access. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

The pink tint of the guano reveals the balance of krill and fish in the penguins’ diet, allowing scientists to monitor the remote colonies and observe how the decline of Antarctic sea ice is altering the region’s food web. — J. B. MacKinnon, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

No one had expected that a handful of colonies could defeat the mighty British Empire. — Sandra Slater, The Conversation, 21 Sep. 2026

Bees go into forests to find natural nesting cavities, search for food or establish permanent colonies, according to the Xeres Society for Invertebrate Conservation. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 20 Sep. 2026