colonies

noun

plural of colony
1
as in plantations
a settlement in a new country or region the early history of New York City when it was a Dutch colony

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in communities
a group of people with a common interest living in one place New Hampshire's MacDowell colony was founded as a summer residence for writers and composers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 colonies Living colonies cover recent decades and can be checked against instrument data. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 31 Aug. 2026 Such groups may include perennial nomads (such as the Roma in Europe), Indigenous peoples in former European colonies, or smaller tribes in societies where tribal membership is socially significant. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026 Hike to Point Bennett on San Miguel Island to view tens of thousands of sea lions and seals, one of the largest pinniped colonies in the world. — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 27 Aug. 2026 Naked mole rat colonies have a hierarchy that loosely aligns with body size, where only the largest females have a shot at becoming queen—and only the queen reproduces. — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 26 Aug. 2026 Some guides damage coral colonies to make these tiny fish easier to show to visitors, but this image was captured by waiting patiently and allowing the animal to appear naturally. — Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 In years past, only a handful of divers have been permitted by the park to descend to the site where the plane’s aluminum body lays upholstered with colonies of invasive mussels. — Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026 This program teaches students the skills and knowledge needed to keep colonies healthy and productive year after year. — Sacbee.com, 19 Aug. 2026 In their tests, the prototype reduced spore colonies on a scrap of fabric by more than 75%. — Rahul Rao, Space.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonies
  1. plantations
  2. communities
  3. outposts
Noun
  • Many let their plantations fall victim to rot; others abandoned cocoa farming altogether.
    — Colette Davidson, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Even though public schooling became compulsory in 1896, the language barrier and the remote location of many plantations led to gaps in access to these laborers’ formal education.
    — H.M.A. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of plantations
Noun
  • Instead, local communities have learned how the law enforcement agencies themselves have been misusing the technology to, in some cases, stalk and harass their citizens.
    — Irene Wright, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
  • And as a result, the data centers built to enable this growth have drawn scrutiny from communities and across party lines, including concerns over higher electric bills.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of communities
Noun
  • Despite a paywall, a graphic on the piece shows data centers in these outposts beaming valuable data to the Middle Kingdom, which, to the American government, is unacceptable.
    — John Werner, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Detroit and Philadelphia have recently become outposts for artists as New York becomes ever more expensive.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of outposts

Browse Nearby Words

colonials
colonies
colonist
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Colonies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonies. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All