as in colonies
a settlement in a new country or region
the struggling plantation almost failed during the first winter
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Recent Examples of plantations
When mega-housing developments sprang up on land formerly occupied by ranches and pine plantations, far from schools, utilities and roads the new residents would need, with taxpayers helping to foot the bill for those connections.
—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
With the Louisiana Purchase, a huge domestic slave trade got under way, supplying labor to cotton and sugar plantations.
—Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Advertisement The two graveyards rest on land that was once part of one of over 50 plantations owned by the white Hairston family across several states.
—Jeffrey Bennett, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
Covering over 16 acres on the ruins of one of the island's many former sugar plantations, this lush garden is within a 15-minute drive of Frederiksted and brings new life to a historic destination.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2026
Railroads reached into coffee growing areas and sugar plantations of the northeast, but there never has been a national net.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
The arm and head of the swimmer below resemble the cartographic contours of Puerto Rico and Cuba, whose sugar plantations depended on slave labor until as late as 1886.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Murton provides details of the shocking conditions at Tucker, evoking comparisons to the slave plantations of the Old South.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
Between 1906 and 1935, thousands of men – and later women – left their hometowns in the Ilocos and Visayas regions of the Philippines for Hawaii, toiling on plantations alongside other immigrant workers.
—Sam Vong, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2025
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Jan. 2026
With the Louisiana Purchase, a huge domestic slave trade got under way, supplying labor to cotton and sugar plantations.
—Laurent Dubois, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
Advertisement The two graveyards rest on land that was once part of one of over 50 plantations owned by the white Hairston family across several states.
—Jeffrey Bennett, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
Covering over 16 acres on the ruins of one of the island's many former sugar plantations, this lush garden is within a 15-minute drive of Frederiksted and brings new life to a historic destination.
—Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2026
Railroads reached into coffee growing areas and sugar plantations of the northeast, but there never has been a national net.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026
The arm and head of the swimmer below resemble the cartographic contours of Puerto Rico and Cuba, whose sugar plantations depended on slave labor until as late as 1886.
—James Meyer, Artforum, 1 Jan. 2026
Murton provides details of the shocking conditions at Tucker, evoking comparisons to the slave plantations of the Old South.
—Arkansas Online, 27 Dec. 2025
Between 1906 and 1935, thousands of men – and later women – left their hometowns in the Ilocos and Visayas regions of the Philippines for Hawaii, toiling on plantations alongside other immigrant workers.
—Sam Vong, The Conversation, 18 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plantations
colonies
Noun
-
Traditionally, America was at the forefront of decolonization and making the Europeans give up their colonies, forcing them to do so or putting pressure to do.—
Ramy Inocencio,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Social insect colonies are a great place for an epidemic to spread, according to Neil Tsutsui, a behavioral ecologist at the University of California, Berkeley, who was not involved in the research.—
Arundathi Nair,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plantations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plantations. Accessed 15 Jan. 2026.
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