verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
General-American:/ˈkɑlənaɪz/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈkɒlənaɪz/
British, Southern, Standard:/ˈkɔlənɑjz/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:K AA1 L AH0 N AY2 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
verb
Meaning 1
To settle (a place) with colonists, and hence make (a place) into a colony.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To settle among and establish control over (the indigenous people of an area).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
To begin a colony or colonies.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To intrude into and take over (the autonomy, experience, social movement, etc, of a less powerful person or group); to commandeer or appropriate.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
settle as colonists or establish a colony (in)
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
The British colonized the East Coast
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: colonise
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: settle, locate
6
verb
Meaning 6
settle as a colony; of countries in the developing world
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
Europeans colonized Africa in the 17th century
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: colonise
Antonyms: decolonize
Broader terms: annex
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *kwelh1- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *kwélh1eti Proto-Italic *kwelō Latin colō Latin colōnus Proto-Indo-European *-(i)yós Proto-Italic *-ijos Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ia Latin colōniader. Middle English colane English colony Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor. Late Latin -izōder. Middle French -iserbor. Middle English -isen English -ize English colonize From colony + -ize.
Across languages
Translations
50 source translations are retained for this English entry.
French:
coloniser
— transitive: to make (a place) into a colony
German:
kolonisieren
— transitive: to make (a place) into a colony
Afrikaans:
koloniseer
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Albanian:
kolonizoj
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Arabic:
استعمر
(istaʕmar)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Asturian:
colonizar
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Azerbaijani:
müstəmləkələşdirmək
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Belarusian:
каланізава́ць
(kalanizavácʹ)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Bulgarian:
колонизи́рам
(kolonizíram)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Catalan:
colonitzar
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Chinese Mandarin:
拓殖
(tuòzhí)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Chinese Mandarin:
殖民
(zhímín)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Czech:
kolonizovat
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Danish:
kolonisere
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Dutch:
koloniseren
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Finnish:
asuttaa
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Finnish:
kolonisoida
— intransitive: to begin a colony
French:
coloniser
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Galician:
colonizar
— intransitive: to begin a colony
German:
kolonisieren
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Greek:
αποικίσει
(apoikísei)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Ancient Greek:
ἀποικίζω
(apoikízō)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Hungarian:
gyarmatosít
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Hungarian:
kolonizál
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Italian:
colonizzare
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Latvian:
kolonizēt
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Lithuanian:
kolonizuoti
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Macedonian:
колонизи́ра
(kolonizíra)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Māori:
whakakoroni
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Marathi:
वसाहत करणे
(vasāhat karṇe)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Norwegian Bokmål:
kolonisere
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Occitan:
colonizar
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Persian:
استعمار کردن
(este'mâr kardan)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Polish:
kolonizować
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Polish:
skolonizować
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Portuguese:
colonizar
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Quechua:
mitmay
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Romanian:
coloniza
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Russian:
колонизи́ровать
(kolonizírovatʹ)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Serbo-Croatian:
колонизи́рати
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Serbo-Croatian:
kolonizírati
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Slovak:
kolonizovať
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Slovene:
kolonizirati
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Spanish:
colonizar
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Swedish:
kolonisera
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Turkish:
sömürgeleştirmek
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Ukrainian:
колонізува́ти
(kolonizuváty)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Ukrainian:
заселя́ти
(zaseljáty)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Ukrainian:
засели́ти
(zaselýty)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
Yiddish:
קאָלאָניזירן
(kolonizirn)
— intransitive: to begin a colony
