colonize

(also UK -ise)

/ˈkɒlənaɪz/ verb [T]

Definition

SEND PEOPLE › to send people to live in and govern another country: [often passive] Burundi was first colonized by the Germans.

LIVE/GROW › to start growing or living in large numbers in a place: Weeds quickly colonize areas of cleared ground.

colonist

/ˈkɒlənɪst/ noun [C] › someone who goes to colonize a country colonization

/ˌkɒlənaɪˈzeɪʃən/ noun [U]

(Definition of colonize verb from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

something which threatens to cause problems or unhappiness in the future

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.