COLONIZE Synonyms: 8 Similar and Opposite Words

colonize

verb

ˈkä-lə-ˌnīz

Definition of colonize

as in to inhabit

to supply with inhabitants believes that someday humans will be sent to colonize Mars

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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 Background In 1889 Queen Victoria granted the British South Africa Company (BSAC) a mandate to colonize the area that would become Zimbabwe, beginning the era of European settlement there. — Chinatsu Tsuji, Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 Sep. 2026 But the past the men are recalling in their stories would have been in the ’20s or ’30s, when the British were still colonizing the region, resistance was gaining strength, and cultural mores were shifting in India and around the globe. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2026 Sauna and plunge events will keep colonizing the nightlife calendar. — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026 The vanishing New York chronicled in the blogs of the mid-aughts has mostly vanished, NYU has colonized large swaths of downtown, and a populace struggling to afford the crushing price of housing has arisen in its wake. — David Freedlander, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for colonize

Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonize

Verb

Unfortunately for Luca, the camera is inhabited by a demon that forces him to continue a murderous ritual started decades ago by a satanist serial killer (the titular Madison).

— Todd Spangler, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026
To protect the rights of immigrant children, teachers must clearly inhabit their role as the reliable adult.

— Hannah Harshe, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of inhabit

Verb

Parks and gardens are woven into every neighborhood; check out the shocking-pink Portland Street micro park spliced between tenements in Yau Ma Tei; Victoria Park in Causeway Bay; and Kowloon Park, which has a lake populated by real-life flamingos.

— Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
Lots of really neat features (like easily updating dates and automatically populating a watchlist).

— David Pierce, The Verge, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of populate

Verb

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers’ remarkable debut novel tells a story of the American South, one set in Georgia and peopled with a cast of characters that exist in a rich, layered, and challenging reality.

— Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
Today, this part of the South Side seems to be almost entirely peopled by Black families.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2026

Definition of people

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colonists

colonize

colonized

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“Colonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonize. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of colonize

verb

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