as in inhabiting
to supply with inhabitants
believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars
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Recent Examples of colonizing
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
Imagine crossing thousands of miles of open ocean — no rest stops, no landmarks — and somehow colonizing a remote archipelago to start entirely new lineages.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Since the founding of SpaceX in 2002, Musk has made colonizing Mars a long-term goal.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 28 Mar. 2026
This lines up with when colonizing Greeks were believed to have introduced viticulture — cultivating grapevines — to France, after founding the city of Marseille.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The mythologies of the medical ass could blossom, like the oral folklore of a tribe allowed to retain its own myths without the colonizing interference of invaders.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The creatures rapidly spread along the interconnected coastal highways of a changing world, colonizing new habitats just as the Age of Dinosaurs began around 252 million years ago.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Feb. 2026
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
The mega-rocket’s next liftoff could happen as soon as March, according to Elon Musk, who recently said his commercial space firm has shifted its focus from colonizing Mars to first setting up a base on the moon.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Feb. 2026
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Apr. 2026
Imagine crossing thousands of miles of open ocean — no rest stops, no landmarks — and somehow colonizing a remote archipelago to start entirely new lineages.
—Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 6 Apr. 2026
Since the founding of SpaceX in 2002, Musk has made colonizing Mars a long-term goal.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 28 Mar. 2026
This lines up with when colonizing Greeks were believed to have introduced viticulture — cultivating grapevines — to France, after founding the city of Marseille.
—CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026
The mythologies of the medical ass could blossom, like the oral folklore of a tribe allowed to retain its own myths without the colonizing interference of invaders.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Feb. 2026
The creatures rapidly spread along the interconnected coastal highways of a changing world, colonizing new habitats just as the Age of Dinosaurs began around 252 million years ago.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Feb. 2026
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
The mega-rocket’s next liftoff could happen as soon as March, according to Elon Musk, who recently said his commercial space firm has shifted its focus from colonizing Mars to first setting up a base on the moon.
—Brandon Lingle, San Antonio Express-News, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonizing
Verb
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Around another corner is Hagar in the Wilderness (1875), still inhabiting the wasteland around her after being scorned by Abraham.—
Tyehimba Jess,
ARTnews.com,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The translator is keenly aware of inhabiting this space.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In January, the platform released an album touting its music possibilities, populating the tracklist with an assortment of cloned vocalists, including Liza Minelli.—
Hattie Lindert,
Pitchfork,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Russell’s performance gains even more power from all the other great performances that surround it; one of many things Shelton has in common with Peckinpah, as well as Preston Sturges, is a gift for populating his movies with vivid supporting players down to the day players.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Colonizing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonizing. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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