as in settler
a person who settles in a new region
the first colonizers of Easter Island must have faced untold challenges
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Recent Examples of colonizer
After 15 years, Spanish troops dispersed the settlement—which had grown to 4,000, and had its own cavalry—but subsequent maroon groups forced colonizers to sign treaties with them.
—
Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Alcohol has devastated generations of Indigenous peoples in the Americas ever since it was introduced by colonizers.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 22 Dec. 2025
They were built by Europeans – the Spanish colonizers.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Fire and Ash finds the threat from the human RDA colonizers looming over Pandora as Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) grieve the loss of their eldest son.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonizer
Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Alcohol has devastated generations of Indigenous peoples in the Americas ever since it was introduced by colonizers.
—Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 22 Dec. 2025
They were built by Europeans – the Spanish colonizers.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
Fire and Ash finds the threat from the human RDA colonizers looming over Pandora as Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña) grieve the loss of their eldest son.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for colonizer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonizer
Noun
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The horror-Western follows a settler family on a perilous journey across the Kalahari Desert in the mid-1800s.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
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But new research published Sunday in the journal suggests these settlers formed seafaring communities that existed for at least as long as the area’s polynya—a technical name for unfrozen water amid sea ice—indicating that humans have long had a hand in shaping the dynamic Arctic ecosystem.—
K. R. Callaway,
Scientific American,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Ivy Queen Reggaeton icon and pioneer Ivy Queen has performed with Bad Bunny on multiple occasions, with the rapper crediting the Queen of Reggaeton as a major inspiration.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
8 Feb. 2026
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Along with coaches George Halas, Clark Shaughnessy, and Ralph Jones, Luckman was a pioneer in the T Formation motion, with three running backs lined up behind the quarterback and a man shifting laterally and behind the line of scrimmage.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
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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,
Literary Hub,
6 Feb. 2026
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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
Noun
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This program collects two mid-length documentaries by Raymond Depardon from the mid-1970s, inaugurating a career-spanning interest in former French colonial Africa.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
20 Jan. 2026
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The main five-bedroom colonial has a stone fireplace, water views, a new kitchen, and a pool.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
20 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonizer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonizer. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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