plural colonies
1
: an area over which a foreign nation or state extends or maintains control
a former colony
"British America" in 1776 signified not only the thirteen colonies and [the historical region called] the Floridas, but also Canada, Nova Scotia, and Britain's Caribbean colonies …—
Linda Colley
Linda Colley
also
: a group of people who establish residence in that area and who retain ties with the parent state
members of Plymouth colony
2
: a group of people who settle together in a new place
… building an ecosystem from scratch on Mars that can provide food, water and oxygen to support a colony is no small task.—Eric Mack
Eric Mack
also
: the land or buildings used by such a group
… suggested … the possibility that crops grown inside the [theoretical Mars] colony would produce suffocating levels of oxygen. —Scott Dance
Scott Dance 3
: a distinguishable localized population of a species or type of organism
a colony of termites/ants
The birds [black skimmers] generally nest in colonies along beaches, with the largest colony in Florida residing on Marco Island.—Karl Schneider
Karl Schneider4
a
: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium
colonies of bacteria
5
: a group of individuals or things with common characteristics or interests living in close association
an artist colony
a nudist colony
also
: the land or buildings used by such a group
6
: a group of persons institutionalized away from others
a leper colony
a penal colony
also
: the land or buildings used by such a group
Examples of colony in a Sentence
Massachusetts was one of the original 13 British colonies that later became the United States.
a former French colony in Africa
Recent Examples on the Web
But the practice exploded with the influx of Spanish, Dutch, French and Portuguese colonialists, eventually spreading throughout South and Central America, Mexico, the 13 British colonies and what is now the American Southwest.
—Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025
Different pieces of the same coral colony are, for the most part, genetically identical.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 4 Feb. 2025
The Netherlands has longstanding agricultural and trade relations with South Africa, a former Dutch colony, and has a historical connection to South Africa's Afrikaans people.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
Over the years, the colonial powers that once followed the ‘right of soil’ have since moved either to abolish or restrict its use, much like some of their former colonies.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for colony 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2025
Different pieces of the same coral colony are, for the most part, genetically identical.
—Benji Jones, Vox, 4 Feb. 2025
The Netherlands has longstanding agricultural and trade relations with South Africa, a former Dutch colony, and has a historical connection to South Africa's Afrikaans people.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
Over the years, the colonial powers that once followed the ‘right of soil’ have since moved either to abolish or restrict its use, much like some of their former colonies.
—Michael Rios, CNN, 31 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for colony
Articles Related to colony
Dictionary Entries Near colony
Cite this Entry
“Colony.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colony. Accessed 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
colony
noun
col·o·ny
ˈkäl-ə-nē 
plural colonies
1
a
: a distant territory under the control of a foreign nation
b
: a group of people who settle in that territory and retain ties with their original homeland
2
: a group of people who settle in a new place
3
a
: a population of plants or animals in a particular place that belong to one species
b
: a mass of microbes usually growing in or on a solid food source (as agar)
4
: a group of people with common qualities or interests living in close association
an artist colony
Medical Definition
colony
noun
col·o·ny
ˈkäl-ə-nē
plural colonies
: a circumscribed mass of microorganisms usually growing in or on a solid medium
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