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
Decades before the Declaration of Independence, colonists organized boycotts and public demonstrations opposing British rule.
—
Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
His outrageous attacks on the citizens of Minnesota are as egregious as anything the British Redcoats did to provoke American colonists into revolution, that started with the Battle of Lexington (painting).
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
Though panned by critics and ignored by the public, the movie shows the struggles of a boy born on Mars to one of the first colonists.
—Big Think, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Despite this, the edition offered by Goldin Auction was originally printed and distributed so that colonists could read the Second Continental Congress’ argument for separating from Great Britain in July 1776.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Jan. 2026
Karl W. Bickel, Baltimore Sun, 24 Feb. 2026
His outrageous attacks on the citizens of Minnesota are as egregious as anything the British Redcoats did to provoke American colonists into revolution, that started with the Battle of Lexington (painting).
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 20 Feb. 2026
Though panned by critics and ignored by the public, the movie shows the struggles of a boy born on Mars to one of the first colonists.
—Big Think, 19 Feb. 2026
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
Despite this, the edition offered by Goldin Auction was originally printed and distributed so that colonists could read the Second Continental Congress’ argument for separating from Great Britain in July 1776.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonists
Noun
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Footage from one camera shows approximately two dozen settlers dressed in black entering the village.—
Julia Frankel,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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Many indigenous groups on this continent whom settlers swindled, attacked, and displaced have a long history of using sweat lodges both for cleaning the body and in ritual.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Curbed,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Editor's Favorites The creators of Miss Jessie’s are pioneers of the natural hair movement.—
Kieaundria Bellamy,
InStyle,
21 Feb. 2026
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Mustaine is revered as one of the pioneers of thrash metal, a subgenre that combines the breakneck velocity of early American hardcore bands such as Circle Jerks and Misfits with the precision and power of British metal groups like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden.—
Jon Wiederhorn,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonists.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonists. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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