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
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
Historians estimate that at the beginning of the war as many as one-third of all American colonists identified as loyalists.
—Kimberly Nath, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
John Dickinson, one of the wealthiest colonists, warned that the vile East India Company, having devastated India, would start in on America.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
In 2023 the district changed the names of three schools which were named after colonists who aided in the genocide of Native Americans in California’s early history.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Arjun is part of Echelon IV, tasked with determining what happened to the colonists.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Native to Eurasia, they were brought to North America by early colonists for food and medicine at the time of the Mayflower, according to the National Library of Medicine.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
But within three years, the site was found abandoned and its colonists dead — earning the name Port Famine.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
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
Historians estimate that at the beginning of the war as many as one-third of all American colonists identified as loyalists.
—Kimberly Nath, The Conversation, 7 May 2026
John Dickinson, one of the wealthiest colonists, warned that the vile East India Company, having devastated India, would start in on America.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
In 2023 the district changed the names of three schools which were named after colonists who aided in the genocide of Native Americans in California’s early history.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Arjun is part of Echelon IV, tasked with determining what happened to the colonists.
—Gieson Cacho, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026
Native to Eurasia, they were brought to North America by early colonists for food and medicine at the time of the Mayflower, according to the National Library of Medicine.
—Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
But within three years, the site was found abandoned and its colonists dead — earning the name Port Famine.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonists
Noun
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From the beginning, the Palisades, with its Mediterranean climate and jagged coastline, lured the most adventurous of settlers, each generation reshaping it in its own image.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
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Archaeology in the occupied West Bank is frequently politicized as part of broader territorial disputes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
13 May 2026
Noun
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He’s known as one of the pioneers of minimalism, a style which focuses on repetition and structure.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
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Prebiotic sodas have moved from niche wellness shelves to mainstream supermarket fridges, with Coca-Cola and Pepsi now competing alongside category pioneers Olipop and Poppi.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonists. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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