settler
n. countable B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈsɛtəɫɝ// UK //sˈɛtlɐ// set·tler
n. a person who goes to live in a new place where not many people from their own country have lived before. They often move to start a new life or farm the land.
n. a person who migrates to an area and establishes a permanent residence there, often in a region previously uninhabited by their own ethnic or national group.
The early settlers built small wooden houses near the river.
Many settlers moved west in search of fertile land and a fresh start for their families.
The arrival of European settlers in the eighteenth century fundamentally altered the local ecosystem and displaced the indigenous populations that had inhabited the region for millennia.
From settle + -er.
Usage
Commonly used in historical contexts to describe colonial expansion.