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
Some people's digestive systems don't accept new bacterial strains, so the bacteria can't take hold and colonize the gut microbiome.
—
Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 23 Apr. 2026
That conversation turned into a broader, more impassioned look into the singer’s environmental views, from battling corporate greed and his conversations with Jane Goodall to disagreements with Elon Musk on the need to colonize Mars.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The plant colonizes quickly to serve as a dense, weed-free ground cover in areas where invasiveness is not a concern.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026
With proper care and maintenance, most mosses will double in size in about a year, filling in bare soil and colonizing your garden space all on their own.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonize
Amber J. Tresca, Verywell Health, 23 Apr. 2026
That conversation turned into a broader, more impassioned look into the singer’s environmental views, from battling corporate greed and his conversations with Jane Goodall to disagreements with Elon Musk on the need to colonize Mars.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The plant colonizes quickly to serve as a dense, weed-free ground cover in areas where invasiveness is not a concern.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026
With proper care and maintenance, most mosses will double in size in about a year, filling in bare soil and colonizing your garden space all on their own.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonize
Verb
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Clouds is the first luxury retreat for visitors to this national park—a more ancient and biodiverse ecosystem than the Virunga Mountains, inhabited by Rwanda and Congo’s gorilla population.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
12 May 2026
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Rebecca Montero’s lighting design and Steve Covey’s projection design helps define the many places Moses inhabits, shifting the mood and focus with subtle changes that suggest everything from cold, city streets to synagogues to the Berkshire woods.—
Michelle F. Solomon,
Miami Herald,
12 May 2026
Verb
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The peripheral areas, while much more sparsely populated than the main population centers, are dominated by ethnic groups that feel neglected by the central government, most notably the Tuaregs in northern Mali.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
10 May 2026
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Jimmy’s creative community is populated with dozens of real-life artists that Sachs has known over the years.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Verb
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Hypocrisy, not rail spindles or dog poop, is top of the play’s agenda, and to poke around that subject the playwright has peopled his work with a collection of character types.—
Greg Evans,
Deadline,
21 Apr. 2026
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The characters who people the novel rise to speak for themselves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonize. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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