Definition of colonistnext
as in settler
a person who settles in a new region over time the colonists began to sense that they were becoming a people unto themselves

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 colonist Like much of the valley, Gilroy stands on land that was first occupied by the native Amah Mutsun, then taken over by Spanish colonists and later became Mexico. Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 31 July 2026 The ancient route was first traveled by hunter-gatherers, before being used by Indigenous traders, Inca messengers, Spanish colonists, and railway workers, among others. Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 31 July 2026 Religious symbols are best displayed in non-governmental spaces given that America was formed by colonists who fled England to seek freedom of religion. Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2026 European colonists in Australia encountered a suite of venomous snakes just as fearsome as those of the Libyan desert. Literary Hub, 10 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for colonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonist
Noun
  • Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighboring West Bank, where Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians.
    ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
  • As the Timber fire continued to burn, firefighting crews over the weekend wrapped a historic cabin in Big Sur built by settler John Pfieiffer in a fire retardant material that looks similar to tin foil, KSBW reported.
    Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The veterans, the pioneers who’ve been in organic cotton for decades, and the new faces arriving with fresh energy.
    Bart Vollaard, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Rob Almond is the CEO of NEST, a pioneer of Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) in North America.
    Rob Almond, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The two of them live on-site in what looks like a family home straight out of a 1990s Disney film, a white colonial home with blue shutters.
    Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Ideally located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in the Taskers Pond neighborhood, a handsome colonial has just come on the market.
    James Alexander, Hartford Courant, 9 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

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

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