colonisation, colonise
col·o·ni·sa·tion, col·o·nise
British spellings of colonization, colonize
1
: an act or instance of colonizing: such as
a
: the establishing of a colony (see colony sense 1) : subjugation of a people or area especially as an extension of state power
The news arrives at a time of debate over how museums should handle artifacts acquired through colonization and conquest.—
Isis Davis-Marks
Isis Davis-Marks"… in contrast to their earlier colonization of the Caribbean, the Spanish encountered highly urbanized civilizations in Mesoamerica and continually equated them with those of the Islamic and Greco-Roman Mediterranean."—David Carballo
David Carballo
b
: migration to and settlement in an inhabited or uninhabited area
the colonization of space/Mars
c(1)
biology
: the spread and development of an organism in a new area or habitat
The colonization of land by eukaryotes probably was facilitated by a partnership (symbiosis) between a photosynthesizing organism … and a fungus.—Daniel S. Heckman et al.
Daniel S. Heckman et al.
(2)
medical
: the presence and multiplication of a microorganism (such as a bacterium) in or on a host or an inanimate object or surface
It is important to reassess wounds frequently to determine if there is colonization of bacteria within the wound.—Emergency Medicine Reports
Emergency Medicine ReportsAdhesion to the intestinal epithelial cells is considered as necessary for probiotic microorganisms to colonize the large intestine, and colonization is important for beneficial health effects such as modulation of the immune system …—O. D. Amund
O. D. Amund… they significantly reduced the rate of bacterial colonization of the devices from 30% to 9% and cut the rate of infection in patients from 4% to 0.—Carol Potera
Carol Potera
d
: the act or practice of appropriating something that one does not own or have a right to
… the pop culture discourse is more open to considering the fraught dynamic of Western colonization of music rooted in Africa than it's ever been.—Matthew Ismael Ruiz
Matthew Ismael RuizIt's a strange objection from someone who rails against the growing blandness of New York—the chain stores and suburban sensibilities, the colonization by the rich, the boring, the feloniously ahistoric.—Ginia Bellafante
Ginia Bellafante2
: the state of being colonized : subjugation by a foreign power
"If I am fighting our struggle on Indigenous territories, then I must also understand and be in solidarity with Indigenous struggles against colonization. To imagine our freedom without first recognizing and fighting for Indigenous sovereignty is impossible."—El Jones
El JonesCite this Entry
“Colonisation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colonisation. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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