colony

noun

col·​o·​ny ˈkä-lə-nē 

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 colonies …

—Linda 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

Synonyms

• plantation

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

The book goes into some depth on the need for masts as a motivating factor for the British in their efforts to hold on to their American colonies. —Eugene Linden, TIME, 21 Apr. 2024

Still, many questions remain unanswered, for instance, does being submerged during hibernation have any longer-term ripple effects, such as affecting the queens’ ability to start new colonies in the spring? —Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Apr. 2024

However, much more went on during the nearly two-decade-long battle that led to the 13 colonies’ independence from England. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 12 Apr. 2024

Wagner mercenaries had previously operated in the Central African Republic (another former French colony) since at least 2018, training the local army and combating rebels in the nation’s civil conflict. —Michael Rios, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

Bees will stop cleaning their hive and gathering nectar and water until the colony collapses. —Frankie Adkins, WIRED, 10 Apr. 2024

Some years between 40% and 60% of bee colonies collapse across the country, DeGrandi-Hoffman said. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024

The salted cod was introduced to the Caribbean via the triangular slave trade between Britain, West Africa and the Caribbean colonies in the 18th and 19th Centuries. —The Arizona Republic, 28 Mar. 2024

The Philippines became a colony of the United States in 1899 after Spain ceded control of its longtime territory to Washington as part of the settlement of the Spanish-American war. —Brad Lendon, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024

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

Phrases Containing colony

• colony collapse disorder
• colony-stimulating factor
• crown colony
• penal colony
• sub-colony

Kids Definition

colony

noun

col·​o·​ny ˈkäl-ə-nē 

plural colonies

1

a

: a group of people sent out by a state to a new territory

b

: the territory in which such colonists live

c

: a distant territory belonging to or under the control of a nation

2

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)

3

: a group of people with common qualities or interests located in close association

an artist colony

Medical Definition

colony

noun

col·​o·​ny ˈkäl-ə-nē 

plural colonies

: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium