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 Palace of Fine Arts: • In 1921, the German colony of Mexico City gave a monument — a monument to Beethoven: • Outside the National Museum of Art, King Charles IV of Spain (1748–1819) rides: • Itzcoatl, too, was a king, in the 1400s. —Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Feb. 2025

Spain ceded sovereignty over its Philippine colony after its defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898. —Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025

There have been multiple past pathways to statehood — from the absorption of the 13 colonies under the Articles of Confederation, to Congress formally agreeing to Texas’ request to be annexed as the 28th state, but only after rejecting previous overtures from the then-republic. —Will Weissert, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2025

Between the lines: The sculpture was inspired by barnacle colonies growing beneath the pier and vintage postcards showing blue- and white-striped beach umbrellas that once dotted the beaches of Tampa Bay, per Echelman's website. —Kathryn Varn, Axios, 10 Feb. 2025

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
• settler colony
• sub-colony

Kids Definition

colony

noun

col·​o·​ny ˈkäl-ə-nē 

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 

plural colonies

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