1
as in colonists
a person who settles in a new region
settlers learning to live in peace with the natives
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2
as in immigrants
one that leaves one place to settle in another
in 1889 Jane Addams, in an effort to provide Chicago's latest wave of settlers with much-needed services, founded the city's first settlement house
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Recent Examples of settlers
From the beginning, the Palisades, with its Mediterranean climate and jagged coastline, lured the most adventurous of settlers, each generation reshaping it in its own image.
—
Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Archaeology in the occupied West Bank is frequently politicized as part of broader territorial disputes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 13 May 2026
Abolitionist John Brown and others killed five pro-slavery settlers in the Pottawatomie Massacre in Kansas Territory.
—USA Today, 13 May 2026
What happened European Union foreign ministers Monday agreed to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers over increasing violence against West Bank Palestinians.
—Peter Weber, TheWeek, 12 May 2026
The European Union’s foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians after Hungary’s new government lifted the country’s veto.
—Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 11 May 2026
At least 40 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the year, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, including a record 11 by settlers, two more than in all of 2025.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Straddling a huge portion of southern Utah, Capitol Reef owes its name to the vivid imagination of early settlers, who thought one of its giant white-rock formations resembled a capitol building dome and its jagged cliffs an underwater reef.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
There’s nothing inherently antisemitic about protesting over the dispossession of Palestinians, and the attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank by settlers, which appear to be sanctioned by the Israeli government.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Archaeology in the occupied West Bank is frequently politicized as part of broader territorial disputes between Palestinians and Israeli settlers.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 13 May 2026
Abolitionist John Brown and others killed five pro-slavery settlers in the Pottawatomie Massacre in Kansas Territory.
—USA Today, 13 May 2026
What happened European Union foreign ministers Monday agreed to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers over increasing violence against West Bank Palestinians.
—Peter Weber, TheWeek, 12 May 2026
The European Union’s foreign ministers agreed Monday to impose sanctions on Israeli settlers over violence against Palestinians after Hungary’s new government lifted the country’s veto.
—Beatriz Ríos, Washington Post, 11 May 2026
At least 40 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the year, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, including a record 11 by settlers, two more than in all of 2025.
—Sam McNeil, Los Angeles Times, 11 May 2026
Capitol Reef National Park, Utah Straddling a huge portion of southern Utah, Capitol Reef owes its name to the vivid imagination of early settlers, who thought one of its giant white-rock formations resembled a capitol building dome and its jagged cliffs an underwater reef.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 8 May 2026
There’s nothing inherently antisemitic about protesting over the dispossession of Palestinians, and the attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank by settlers, which appear to be sanctioned by the Israeli government.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for settlers
Noun
-
During the Pequot War, a conflict between Connecticut colonists and the Pequot tribe, Capt.—
USA Today,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
In Ho Chi Minh City, bánh mì grew out of French colonization — the colonists brought the baguette, and Vietnamese bakers reworked it into something lighter and crispier.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Growing delays are leaving many immigrants, like Little Village resident Elizeth Arguelles, 31, trapped with uncertainty.—
Allison Kiehl,
Chicago Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
The growth was driven by immigrants, particularly from China and India.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
He’s known as one of the pioneers of minimalism, a style which focuses on repetition and structure.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
-
Prebiotic sodas have moved from niche wellness shelves to mainstream supermarket fridges, with Coca-Cola and Pepsi now competing alongside category pioneers Olipop and Poppi.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 May 2026
Noun
-
Hiba had heard that migrants were sometimes subjected to human and organ trafficking in Egypt.—
Annie Hylton,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
As of Thursday afternoon, ICE had not moved Williams from the Orange County Jail into its custody since his arrest on Saturday, surpassing the 72-hour limit to house migrants as part of the facility’s agreement with federal authorities.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
Noun
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Those include sites like Bonneville Point – where emigrants got their first glimpse of the Boise River Valley and trail ruts can be seen – and Three Island Crossing State Park, named for the most crucial and challenging river crossing in the state.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
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At least one of Mellone’s cases had been rejected in lower courts before the new law, hinging partially on rulings that Italian emigrants who took on another citizenship before having children cannot pass on Italian citizenship.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Over 1,400 refugees were housed by the government in a compound and provided food and medical care, said Corey Malcom, the Florida Keys History Center’s lead historian.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 May 2026
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Immigrants without legal status are ineligible for Medicaid benefits, but a swath of noncitizens qualify, such as green-card holders, asylees, and refugees.—
Andrew Jones,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Settlers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/settlers. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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