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

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2
as in community
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

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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 colony Guyana was first a Dutch colony, then a British colony; Suriname was a Dutch colony (except in brief periods of British control). Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 26 Feb. 2025 After slavery was abolished, the British looked around to the colonies, especially in India, for people to replace that labor source. Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Feb. 2025 The Palace of Fine Arts: • In 1921, the German colony of Mexico City gave a monument — a monument to Beethoven: • Outside the National Museum of Art, King Charles IV of Spain (1748–1819) rides: • Itzcoatl, too, was a king, in the 1400s. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Feb. 2025 Spain ceded sovereignty over its Philippine colony after its defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for colony
Recent Examples of Synonyms for colony
Noun
  • This is what generates anxiety at coffee plantations around the planet.
    Peter S. Goodman, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025
  • One of the enslaved people on his Virginia plantation, Monticello, was Sally Hemings, the half-sister of his late wife, Martha Jefferson, who died in 1782 at age 33.
    Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Land & Life has prioritized human and wildlife well-being since its inception, proving that conservation and community empowerment can go hand in hand.
    Jordi Lippe-McGraw, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025
  • Maternal care deserts increase risk for women, babies North Shore, which has been a lifeline for surrounding communities for more than 70 years, has seen trouble brewing for months.
    Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • But after a year of big shake-ups at the major labels, as well as the breakthrough drought, the U.K.’s perennial fear of being reduced to just another European outpost of the U.S. industry has sometimes looked closer to reality than ever.
    Mark Sutherland, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025
  • In August 2021, intel on Hamas’ military wing described the plan for a large-scale attack on Israeli communities and military outposts surrounding the Gaza Strip.
    Rachel Wolf, Fox News, 28 Feb. 2025

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“Colony.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/colony. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.

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