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
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Recent Examples of colonist
Many early Native American tribes kept track of time through phases of the moon, and some of the names were adopted by European colonists.
—
Simmone Shah, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
In the film, Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes, a space colonist known as an expendable.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
The war was a final effort by Native American tribes to push back against European settlers, but the colonists won, securing their dominance over New England.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025
Hot, wet, insect-ridden, and with a climate that made early colonists exceptionally susceptible to disease, the islands became the center of an idea formulated in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for colonist
Simmone Shah, TIME, 11 Feb. 2025
In the film, Pattinson plays Mickey Barnes, a space colonist known as an expendable.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
The war was a final effort by Native American tribes to push back against European settlers, but the colonists won, securing their dominance over New England.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 8 Feb. 2025
Hot, wet, insect-ridden, and with a climate that made early colonists exceptionally susceptible to disease, the islands became the center of an idea formulated in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century.
—Rob Crossan, JSTOR Daily, 13 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for colonist
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colonist
Noun
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Viewers see the local playground being torn down, the killing of Adra’s brother by Israeli soldiers, and other attacks by Jewish settlers while the community tries to survive.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN,
3 Mar. 2025
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On Shackleford Banks, keep an eye out for the island’s famed wild horses, which are descended from Spanish mustangs brought and abandoned by European settlers in the 1500s.—
Roger Sands,
Forbes,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In a March 7, 2025, X/Twitter post, early Bitcoin pioneer Charlie Shrem reflected on the momentous shift in policy.—
Tonya M. Evans,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
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The fire that destroyed the Bidwell Mansion began unexpectedly, spread uncontrollably and puzzled a community that had for generations grown in the footprint and shadow of the pioneer family.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacramento Bee,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Long periods of rule by Portuguese, Dutch, and finally British colonial occupiers were only fully concluded in 1965, when the Maldives became an Islamic sultanate, albeit one not initially included in the British Commonwealth.—
Rob Crossan,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Jan. 2025
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In fact, Americans have been cultivating it since the colonial era, when it was traded on the Philadelphia commodity exchange at the same price as gold.—
Jane Black,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Colonist.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colonist. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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