as in settlers
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 colonists
The American origin story is rooted in the notion that George III was its vanquished villain, an irrational tyrant who oppressed the American colonists.
—
ABC News, 3 June 2026
Then, head next door to the Jamestown Settlement, also a living history museum, to view replicas of a 17th-century Indigenous village, James Fort, and the three ships the colonists sailed in from England.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 2026
Like the colonists who brought them, Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) aren’t native to the Americas.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
An agreement adopted by the First Continental Congress and signed by all 53 delegates that urged colonists to boycott British goods.
—Justin Adams, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Since Europeans considered literacy a crucial marker of civilization, the engraving highlights English hopes that Indigenous Americans could rapidly embrace the colonists’ culture.
—Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 25 May 2026
Although the fact is often forgotten, the American colonists were not the only people who faced a political crisis in the late 18th century.
—Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
During the Pequot War, a conflict between Connecticut colonists and the Pequot tribe, Capt.
—USA Today, 13 May 2026
In Ho Chi Minh City, bánh mì grew out of French colonization — the colonists brought the baguette, and Vietnamese bakers reworked it into something lighter and crispier.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
ABC News, 3 June 2026
Then, head next door to the Jamestown Settlement, also a living history museum, to view replicas of a 17th-century Indigenous village, James Fort, and the three ships the colonists sailed in from England.
—Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 30 May 2026
Like the colonists who brought them, Western honey bees (Apis mellifera) aren’t native to the Americas.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
An agreement adopted by the First Continental Congress and signed by all 53 delegates that urged colonists to boycott British goods.
—Justin Adams, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Since Europeans considered literacy a crucial marker of civilization, the engraving highlights English hopes that Indigenous Americans could rapidly embrace the colonists’ culture.
—Peter C. Mancall, The Conversation, 25 May 2026
Although the fact is often forgotten, the American colonists were not the only people who faced a political crisis in the late 18th century.
—Danielle Allen, The Atlantic, 21 May 2026
During the Pequot War, a conflict between Connecticut colonists and the Pequot tribe, Capt.
—USA Today, 13 May 2026
In Ho Chi Minh City, bánh mì grew out of French colonization — the colonists brought the baguette, and Vietnamese bakers reworked it into something lighter and crispier.
—Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 12 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonists
Noun
-
Sibiu, Romania — A fusion of Romanian, German and Hungarian cultures, Sibiu’s architecture dates back to the Middle Ages and was built by German settlers.—
Hanna Wickes,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
-
Potatoes arrived in Europe later that century and in North America about half a century after that, with European settlers (though researchers in Utah have found residue of a wild potato on a tool dating back more than 10,000 years).—
Tamar Adler,
Vogue,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Stark Future is considered one of the pioneers in this segment with its Varg motocross and Varg EX enduro models.—
Utkarsh Sood
June 03,
New Atlas,
3 June 2026
-
Even the pioneers of the city’s experimental-dance scene in the sixties and seventies, so open-minded and self-aware in some respects, mostly forgot to think about race.—
Marina Harss,
New Yorker,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonists. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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