plantation

noun

plan·​ta·​tion plan-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a usually large group of plants and especially trees under cultivation

2

: a settlement in a new country or region

Plymouth Plantation

3

a

: a place that is planted or under cultivation

b

: an agricultural estate usually worked by resident labor

Synonyms

• colony

Examples of plantation in a Sentence

the struggling plantation almost failed during the first winter

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet Swiss citizens still played an outsize role in colonialism and its predecessor, the plantation economy. —Percy Zvomuya, Artforum, 1 Nov. 2024

The museum features all kinds of local treasures: clothing, furniture, plantation equipment, and traditional Hawaiian artifacts found on Lanai. —Laura Parker, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

According to Boston University's Korean Diaspora Project, when the then-sovereign state was annexed by the U.S. in 1898, plantation owners in Hawaii requiring cheap labor led to an influx of Chinese workers from Canton, as well as laborers from Korea. —Nina Turner, Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2024

Enslaved people who worked on the island’s plantations also purchased goods and services with them. —Alev Aktar, Robb Report, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

plantation

noun

plan·​ta·​tion plan-ˈtā-shən 

1

: a group of plants and especially trees planted and cared for

2

: a settlement in a new country or region : colony

3

: a planted area

especially : an agricultural estate worked by laborers

Geographical Definition

Plantation

geographical name

city in southeastern Florida west of Fort Lauderdale population 84,955