colonize
v. B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈkɑɫəˌnaɪz// col·o·nize
v. to take control of a new area and start living there, often by force. It can also mean to move to a new place to start a new community.
v. to establish a settlement in a new territory, typically by taking control of it. Often implies the establishment of a dominant political or economic power over the local population.
The company plans to colonize the moon in the next century.
Historians study how different nations colonize new lands and the long-term effects on the indigenous people.
The rapid expansion of the empire required a massive effort to colonize the frontier, often leading to significant cultural and environmental shifts in the newly acquired territories.
From colony + -ize.
- Verbcolonize
- Nouncolonization