as in settler
a person who settles in a new region
over time the colonists began to sense that they were becoming a people unto themselves
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Recent Examples of colonist
The latter tells the powerful story of the Revolutionary War and the brave colonists who fought it.
—
Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 May 2025
The Trump administration is welcoming white Afrikaners, a centuries-old ethnic group descended mainly from Dutch colonists, after suspending the program for everyone else.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Drawing upon the ongoing 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, Trump shared the names and ages of a few of the colonists killed at the 1775 battle of Lexington and Concord, which marked the start of the colonialists' revolt against British rule.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 27 May 2025
The Afrikaners, descendants of mainly Dutch colonists, left Johannesburg on Sunday night.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonist
Matt Alderton, USA Today, 24 May 2025
The Trump administration is welcoming white Afrikaners, a centuries-old ethnic group descended mainly from Dutch colonists, after suspending the program for everyone else.
—Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025
Drawing upon the ongoing 250th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, Trump shared the names and ages of a few of the colonists killed at the 1775 battle of Lexington and Concord, which marked the start of the colonialists' revolt against British rule.
—Davis Winkie, USA Today, 27 May 2025
The Afrikaners, descendants of mainly Dutch colonists, left Johannesburg on Sunday night.
—Kate Bartlett, NPR, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonist
Noun
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But European settlers and trappers killed off most of the big cats living in the eastern two-thirds of the continent.—
Sarah Kuta,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 June 2025
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Biden’s sanctions on some West Bank settlers were eliminated.—
ALUF BENN,
Foreign Affairs,
5 June 2025
Noun
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William Arruda is a keynote speaker, author, and personal branding pioneer.—
William Arruda,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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Brian Wilson, leader of The Beach Boys, widely acknowledged as one of America’s all-time greatest composers, a pioneer of advanced studio techniques, and one of the most sensitive chroniclers of the Californian experience, has died at age 82.—
Barry Walters,
Billboard,
11 June 2025
Noun
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The Hedges Inn—the beloved hotel housed in a 19th-century colonial home on the cusp of East Hampton Town—has found new stewards in Andrew and Sarah Wetenhall.—
Elise Taylor,
Vogue,
23 May 2025
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Mediation is a delicate subject in India because of the country’s bruising colonial experience; it is often equated with an assault on Indian sovereignty.—
Vaibhav Vats,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonist. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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