-
- To save this word, you'll need to log in.
crown colony
noun
often capitalized both Cs
: a British colony over which the Crown retains some control
Examples of crown colony in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The idea for an arts enclave emerged around 1997, around the same time that the former British crown colony was handed back to China.
—
Denny Lee, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2024
Moya's homeland had once been a crown colony called Southern Rhodesia where, for more than half a century, the white colonial ruling class enriched itself at the expense of the Black majority.
—
Hyder Abbasi, NBC News, 14 Sep. 2022
In 1960, Britain ceded control of the crown colony of Cyprus.
—
BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2020
Scholars today believe that the unsigned letter was likely written by John Allan, an influential merchant and politician in Nova Scotia—today, one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces, but then a crown colony.
—
John Hanc, Smithsonian, 5 June 2017
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.
Word History
First Known Use
1828, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near crown colony
Cite this Entry
“Crown colony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crown%20colony. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share