COLONIZE Synonyms: 8 Similar and Opposite Words

colonize

verb

ˈkä-lə-ˌnīz

Definition of colonize

as in to inhabit

to supply with inhabitants believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of colonize SpaceX, for instance, purportedly aims to save humanity from future environmental catastrophes, like the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, by colonizing the Moon and Mars. — Marissa E. Yingling, The Conversation, 12 Aug. 2026 The waters around Sicily, which was colonized by the ancient Greeks and later conquered by the Romans around 240 BC, constituted one of the ancient world’s most important trade routes. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026 For example, one species colonizes plant roots and can also parasitically infect cyst nematode eggs. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 6 Aug. 2026 No matter that the Brits, like the Bund, were battling Hitler—the Bundists knew that their allies were the colonized, marginal, and exploited. — Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for colonize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonize

Verb

Amenities and experiences The name Anasazi refers to the Native American civilization that once inhabited the Four Corners region, renowned for their cliff dwellings and recognized as the ancestors of today's Pueblo peoples.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026
Land targeted for conservation makes up a quilt of South Florida wilderness, from coastal wetland to tropical hammocks, inhabited by rare plants, butterflies, bats, snakes and other critters.

— Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of inhabit

Verb

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers’ remarkable debut novel tells a story of the American South, one set in Georgia and peopled with a cast of characters that exist in a rich, layered, and challenging reality.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Today, this part of the South Side seems to be almost entirely peopled by Black families.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026

Definition of people

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colonists

colonize

colonized

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“Colonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonize. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of colonize

verb

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