as in to inhabit
to supply with inhabitants
believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of colonize
The study predicted that in a high-warming scenario, the fungus would colonize almost the entire western U.S. by 2100 and cases would grow by 50%.
—
Bymeredith Wadman, science.org, 16 Jan. 2025
How did lush rainforest colonize the sterile land so quickly?
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2025
The Roman Empire had colonized Judea—the southern part of ancient Palestine—some 200 years earlier.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
The research team examined one type of obelisk that had colonized bacteria found on human tooth enamel: Streptococcus sanguinis.
—Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for colonize 
Bymeredith Wadman, science.org, 16 Jan. 2025
How did lush rainforest colonize the sterile land so quickly?
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 4 Jan. 2025
The Roman Empire had colonized Judea—the southern part of ancient Palestine—some 200 years earlier.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
The research team examined one type of obelisk that had colonized bacteria found on human tooth enamel: Streptococcus sanguinis.
—Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for colonize
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonize
Verb
-
While humpback whales are known to inhabit these waters, incidents involving close encounters with humans are exceedingly rare.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
-
Things take a turn for the horrifying and comedic when the new lodgers find it is already inhabited by a 400-year-old evil entity.—
Samantha Bergeson,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Of course, this is no small achievement as the category is populated with many of the best artists in the business, each deserving of recognition.—
Richard Newby,
The Hollywood Reporter,
10 Feb. 2025
-
This year’s race has never had a stable front-runner; instead, it’s populated by smaller, more polarizing movies, each vulnerable under the scrutiny of the Oscar spotlight.—
Michael Schulman,
The New Yorker,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
By Meaghan Garvey February 13, 2025 Image by Chris Panicker, photo by Chris Weeks/WireImage Know that all of Nature is but a magic theater, that the great Mother is the master magician, and that this whole world is peopled by her many parts.—
Meaghan Garvey,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2025
-
Indeed, Gabet was moved to learn from his one of his curators that the artisans who created 17th-century tapestries meticulously tweaked weaving techniques to demarcate the various fabrics worn by those peopling the vast scenes.—
Miles Socha,
WWD,
3 Sep. 2019
Thesaurus Entries Near colonize
Cite this Entry
“Colonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonize. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share