as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants
believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars
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Recent Examples of colonize
That 16th century term for Catholics became a 17th century term for Protestants, as Britain set about colonizing the Irish province of Ulster with Scottish Presbyterians.
—
Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Life only became complex, differentiated, and colonized the continental land on Earth a few hundred million years ago.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
These mechanisms can create new effector genes that enable pathogens to infect and colonize a host plant.
—Lily Peck, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026
The buildings that housed a prideful labor force are vandalized, colonized by squatters or boarded up.
—Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonize
Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Life only became complex, differentiated, and colonized the continental land on Earth a few hundred million years ago.
—Big Think, 17 Feb. 2026
These mechanisms can create new effector genes that enable pathogens to infect and colonize a host plant.
—Lily Peck, The Conversation, 17 Feb. 2026
The buildings that housed a prideful labor force are vandalized, colonized by squatters or boarded up.
—Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonize
Verb
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This is a style seen more refined than ever in her new Tribeca home, a Gilded Age relic once inhabited by the AD100 hall-of-famer French architect Thierry Despont.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
10 Mar. 2026
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Santa Cruz, a hunk of volcanic rock wedged between the blues of sky and ocean and inhabited by over a thousand scrappy species of creatures and plants, feels magnificently wild.—
Betsy Andrews,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nominally designed as a spaceport, Lego aliens and spaceships populate the area.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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As in the real world, they’re populated by personalities that don’t neatly divide along a good-evil binary but are, instead, flawed yet lovable—to some other lovably flawed character, at least.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The paradox of this quartet of movies up for the new casting Oscar, all boldly peopled with nonprofessionals, is that this very practice has become professionalized.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
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Why can’t people RSVP properly for goodness’ sake?—
Mary Shannon Wells,
Southern Living,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonize. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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