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 American colonists’ decision to frame their rebellion as a quarrel with a man rather than a system was brilliant from a public-relations standpoint, if not exactly honest.
—
The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
The colonists were subject to arbitrary taxation, warrantless searches, standing armies in their homes, and other evils at the hands of the crown.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
And farther off, toward the mountains, the Cimarronaje—the settlements of the Black Seminoles and Mascogos who, on escaping slavery, became colonists of a territory that asked for their protection in exchange for ownership.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
From the days of colonists and pirates to the more modern era (of, say, bankers and lawyers servicing offshore corporations), its touristic charms have gone largely unappreciated.
—John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonist
The Atlantic, 17 Feb. 2026
The colonists were subject to arbitrary taxation, warrantless searches, standing armies in their homes, and other evils at the hands of the crown.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
And farther off, toward the mountains, the Cimarronaje—the settlements of the Black Seminoles and Mascogos who, on escaping slavery, became colonists of a territory that asked for their protection in exchange for ownership.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
From the days of colonists and pirates to the more modern era (of, say, bankers and lawyers servicing offshore corporations), its touristic charms have gone largely unappreciated.
—John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonist
Noun
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One settler can be seen aiming his rifle at the top floor of the home.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Historical accounts describe Sutter, a Swiss immigrant and early California settler, as enslaving Indigenous people and forcing tribes to work in inhumane and sometimes deadly conditions.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In the late 1990s, Stone embarked on a solo career, becoming a pioneer in neo-soul.—
DeAsia Paige,
AJC.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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The film, directed by Daniel Junge and Sam Pollard, explores the life and legacy of Carl Bean, a disco singer who became an archbishop and pioneer in the LGBTQ civil rights movement.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The arts center is located less than a mile away from their sprawling, white Dutch clapboard colonial home on Old House Lane and sits in the old Reader’s Digest campus, which has now been redeveloped as a retail-office-residential complex.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
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Walmart Supercenters could fit inside, in contrast to the remnants of the austere Spanish colonial and mission architecture that define the town.—
Heather Hollingsworth,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonist. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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