1
as in colonists
a person who settles in a new region
settlers learning to live in peace with the natives
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2
as in immigrants
one that leaves one place to settle in another
in 1889 Jane Addams, in an effort to provide Chicago's latest wave of settlers with much-needed services, founded the city's first settlement house
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Recent Examples of settlers
Most families here are descendants of settlers from Ireland and England who came in pursuit of cod 300-plus years ago.
—
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
These white settlers came in successive waves.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Spring Valley Nature Preserve offers a dozen easy hiking trails through the forest and along Salt Run, a trickling creek that was used by early settlers for salt production.
—Midwest Living, 1 Apr. 2026
No one has been arrested for the brutal beating of 75-year-old Abdullah Daraghmeh, who was attacked in his home during the settlers’ early morning raid last week.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
While Willick was there, some settlers drove by in a white pickup and smiled—including Levi.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Punishment of Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians is also rare.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
After Missouri became a state in 1821, American settlers and French fur traders flocked to the region.
—Elijah Winkler, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2026
As a living agricultural museum, the garden collections include both native plants and edible plants that were brought over by Spanish settlers and adapted to the desert climate over hundreds of years.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2026
These white settlers came in successive waves.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
Spring Valley Nature Preserve offers a dozen easy hiking trails through the forest and along Salt Run, a trickling creek that was used by early settlers for salt production.
—Midwest Living, 1 Apr. 2026
No one has been arrested for the brutal beating of 75-year-old Abdullah Daraghmeh, who was attacked in his home during the settlers’ early morning raid last week.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 31 Mar. 2026
While Willick was there, some settlers drove by in a white pickup and smiled—including Levi.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Punishment of Israeli settlers for violence against Palestinians is also rare.
—Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 30 Mar. 2026
After Missouri became a state in 1821, American settlers and French fur traders flocked to the region.
—Elijah Winkler, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2026
As a living agricultural museum, the garden collections include both native plants and edible plants that were brought over by Spanish settlers and adapted to the desert climate over hundreds of years.
—John Leos, AZCentral.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for settlers
Noun
-
The aiyi have sent an emissary to Scythia, who will determine whether the colonists deserve to survive.—
Stephanie Burt,
New Yorker,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The early colonists were very much anti-idol worshippers and even modern Catholics, as Vice President Vance surely knows, have long been criticized by their Protestant counterparts for a love of statuary, reliquaries and other iconography that some have argued fall into idolatry.—
Culture Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
But especially for a child of immigrants with absolutely no ties to this industry or access points, getting to the next step over the past several years was so difficult.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The state has the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements Program through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which requires immigrants to present identity and lawful status documents before receiving a license.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Schilling Elementary School in Newark is packed with young pioneers, willing to get their hands dirty.—
Molly McCrea,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Time and time again, pioneers of new platforms have also bought up content and influenced conversations about those platforms.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And in South Florida groups have stepped in to support migrants navigating complicated immigration processes, from deportation to self-deportation, often filling gaps left by government systems.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The access comes after a federal judge earlier this week allowed clergy members from the Chicago area to minister to migrants in the facility during Holy Week and Easter.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, large numbers of Laotian and Hmong emigrants arrived, fleeing the persecution that followed the Vietnam War.—
David Farley,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The book looked at the world of Bad Bridgets, a swath of Irish women emigrants that were deemed troublemakers, noting that for a time Irish women outnumbered Irish men in prison.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The change in eligibility requirements comes from federal policy updates barring certain asylees, refugees, parolees, individuals with deportation or removal withheld, conditional entrants and victims of trafficking from accessing Cal Fresh, according to the Department of Public Social Services.—
Michele Gile,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
The tightening of the reins in the British Mandate for Palestine comes as Adolf Hitler and Germany invade Poland, triggering the beginnings of World War II, and as Jewish refugees fleeing persecution begin entering the region.—
Zach Dennis,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Settlers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/settlers. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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