colonized

past tense of colonize
as in populated
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 colonized Roberts noted that once the fungi has colonized a person, treatment generally focuses on any symptoms that develop. Diana Anos, CNN Money, 7 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 The tiny coral limestone atoll was colonized by Germany and later administered by Australia before becoming an independent republic in 1968. Charlotte Graham-McLay, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2026 When ships are stationary for periods of days or weeks, the submerged parts of the vessel can become colonized by microbes, algae and other marine organisms. Christopher Cann, USA Today, 2 Aug. 2026 The European countries all once colonized the nations that are now members of the political bloc of 14 independent nations. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2026 The endeavor particularly focuses on the items held in the Netherlands, which colonized Indonesia between 1602 and 1945. News Desk, Artforum, 24 July 2026 Indonesia has intensified efforts in recent years to track down cultural treasures scattered abroad through colonial-era collecting, theft and illicit trafficking, including from the Netherlands, which colonized Indonesia for centuries. ABC News, 23 July 2026 Although China was never fully colonized, parts of the region came under foreign spheres of influence, especially from the British Empire, which directed the profitable trade of opium from India to China during the 19th century. Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonized
Verb
  • Not long afterward, their ship runs aground on an uncharted island heavily populated by dinosaurs.
    Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
  • This era, known as the Cambrian Explosion, saw the very first intricate ecosystems populated by early examples of many major animal groups appear in oceans.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • The species, which still exists, once inhabited the Southwestern region including Los Angeles.
    Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Towns on the region’s fertile lowlands, once inhabited by Azerbaijani farmers and traders, were abandoned, then they were looted, landmined and turned into military buffer zones.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026

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“Colonized.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonized. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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