colony

noun

col·​o·​ny ˈkä-lə-nē How to pronounce colony (audio)
plural colonies
1
: an area over which a foreign nation or state extends or maintains control
a former colony
"British America" in 1776 signified not only the thirteen colonies and [the historical region called] the Floridas, but also Canada, Nova Scotia, and Britain's Caribbean coloniesLinda Colley
also : a group of people who establish residence in that area and who retain ties with the parent state
members of Plymouth colony
2
: a group of people who settle together in a new place
… building an ecosystem from scratch on Mars that can provide food, water and oxygen to support a colony is no small task.Eric Mack
also : the land or buildings used by such a group
… suggested … the possibility that crops grown inside the [theoretical Mars] colony would produce suffocating levels of oxygen. Scott Dance
3
: a distinguishable localized population of a species or type of organism
a colony of termites/ants
The birds [black skimmers] generally nest in colonies along beaches, with the largest colony in Florida residing on Marco Island.Karl Schneider
4
a
: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium
colonies of bacteria
b
: the aggregation of zooids of a compound animal (such as a coral or bryozoan)
A new coral colony is begun when a planula settles down on a reef, attaches itself there, and forms the first polyp, from which others bud.Joseph E. Neigel and John C. Avise
5
: a group of individuals or things with common characteristics or interests living in close association
an artist colony
a nudist colony
also : the land or buildings used by such a group
6
: a group of persons institutionalized away from others
a leper colony
a penal colony
also : the land or buildings used by such a group

Examples of colony in a Sentence

Massachusetts was one of the original 13 British colonies that later became the United States. a former French colony in Africa
Recent Examples on the Web Critics of the international intervention have raised concerns that Kenya, a former British colony and English-speaking nation in East Africa, is leading a deployment to Haiti, a French- and Haitian-Creole speaking-nation 12,000 miles away. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 June 2024 Titled for the island of Martinique, a former French colony in the Caribbean that legend held was once occupied solely by women, Leigh’s 2022 sculpture derives from a mid-19th century monument in the capitol, toppled during Black Lives Matter protests two years earlier. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024 The defendants had hoped to secure a majority in the former British colony’s legislature that would have given them the power to block the city leader’s agenda—and theoretically force the chief executive to resign. Siuming Ho / Bloomberg, TIME, 30 May 2024 Tourism is the main industry in the Bahamas, an archipelago of nearly 700 islands — all but about 30 of them uninhabited — and former British colony. Amy Bentley, Orange County Register, 29 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for colony 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'colony.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English colonie, from Middle French & Latin; Middle French, from Latin colonia, from colonus farmer, colonist, from colere to cultivate — more at wheel

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of colony was circa 1550

Dictionary Entries Near colony

Cite this Entry

“Colony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colony. Accessed 13 Jun. 2024.

Kids Definition

colony

noun
col·​o·​ny ˈkäl-ə-nē How to pronounce colony (audio)
plural colonies
1
a
: a distant territory under the control of a foreign nation
b
: a group of people who settle in that territory and retain ties with their original homeland
2
: a group of people who settle in a new place
3
a
: a population of plants or animals in a particular place that belong to one species
b
: a mass of microbes usually growing in or on a solid food source (as agar)
4
: a group of people with common qualities or interests living in close association
an artist colony

Medical Definition

colony

noun
col·​o·​ny ˈkäl-ə-nē How to pronounce colony (audio)
plural colonies
: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium

More from Merriam-Webster on colony

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