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
Following the Revolution, as the United States expanded and more European settlers arrived, their homelands in New York and Massachusetts were taken over by colonizers.
—
Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Start by visiting Elmina Castle, the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa, founded by Portuguese colonizers in 1482.
—Melanie Van Zyl, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2026
The colonizer’s poetry has no bones next to the lyric of ours.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
The book is set in late-19th-century Malacca (also spelled Melaka), a city in Malaysia, and mentions landmarks left over from two previous European colonizers before the British arrived.
—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonizer
Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Start by visiting Elmina Castle, the oldest European building in sub-Saharan Africa, founded by Portuguese colonizers in 1482.
—Melanie Van Zyl, Travel + Leisure, 6 Mar. 2026
The colonizer’s poetry has no bones next to the lyric of ours.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
The book is set in late-19th-century Malacca (also spelled Melaka), a city in Malaysia, and mentions landmarks left over from two previous European colonizers before the British arrived.
—J. D. Biersdorfer, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for colonizer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonizer
Noun
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Creeping Charlie was first introduced by European settlers as a groundcover.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
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Mining attracted settlers to the region in the 1890s; tourism keeps the Mexican village alive today.—
Lauren Villagran,
USA Today,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Afrika Bambaataa, a man widely considered one of the main pioneers of hip-hop, died Thursday of prostate cancer in Pennsylvania, according to his lawyer.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Apr. 2026
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Other exhibits highlight the musical roots of rock and roll, going deep on both early pioneers and legends of the genre (there are specific areas dedicated to Janis Joplin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix).—
Paul J. Heney,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The 1774 Articles of Association, which urged colonists to boycott British goods.—
Linh Tat,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Portugal and Germany in Southern Africa For much of the 19th century, Portuguese colonists in Angola and Mozambique were fewer in number and weaker in authority than those in the interior of South Africa.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The sharp drop in mortgage rates to below 3% from mid-2020 to early 2022 enabled folks to pay big numbers for their ranch or colonial and not cut back on dining out or cutting short the trip to Disney World.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
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British control over the islands is a relic of its colonial past.—
Issy Ronald,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonizer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonizer. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
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