Definition of colonistnext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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Recent Examples of colonist Paul Revere’s famous Midnight ride alerted the colonists that British troops (known as Regulars or Redcoats) were on the march to capture military supplies and leaders. William Lambers, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2026 The 1774 Articles of Association, which urged colonists to boycott British goods. Linh Tat, Daily News, 13 Apr. 2026 Portugal and Germany in Southern Africa For much of the 19th century, Portuguese colonists in Angola and Mozambique were fewer in number and weaker in authority than those in the interior of South Africa. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026 The early colonists were very much anti-idol worshippers and even modern Catholics, as Vice President Vance surely knows, have long been criticized by their Protestant counterparts for a love of statuary, reliquaries and other iconography that some have argued fall into idolatry. Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for colonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonist
Noun
  • On March 30, soldiers from the battalion detained a CNN team covering settler violence in the village of Tayasir in the West Bank.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Local history is also reflected in the design, with a Navy pilot (representing the former Naval Air Station Glenview); a member of the Kennicott family, the early settlers of The Grove; the Glenview Farmer’s Market; and a child riding in the 4th of July bike parade featured.
    Jennifer Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 28 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The 24,000-square-foot building was erected in 1965 by shopping mall pioneer and developer Ernest Hahn to serve as his corporate headquarters.
    Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2026
  • And Mighty Real also spotlights under-the-radar but equally important LGBTQ pioneers like Lavender Country and the artists from women’s music label Olivia Records.
    David Chiu, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
Noun
  • Long before drop-top Corvettes breezed through town, Albuquerque was a bastion of Spanish colonial and Native America cultures, a heritage that endures at 18th-century San Felipe de Neri Church in Old Town and the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
    CNN.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
  • The diamond has since come to be seen as a symbol of colonial ⁠British ​rule by many Indians.
    Andy Battaglia, ARTnews.com, 30 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Colonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonist. Accessed 13 May. 2026.

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