colonizes
Populates new territory
Colonizes is the third-person singular of colonize, meaning to establish control over a territory and its people.
A nation colonizes when it sends settlers to occupy foreign land: Britain colonized much of North America.
The word extends to biological contexts—bacteria colonize a wound, invasive species colonize an ecosystem.
Figuratively, something colonizes when it spreads to dominate: Corporate jargon has colonized everyday speech.
Domain under unified control
- subjugationForcing into submission
- annexationAbsorbing territory into jurisdiction
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- invasionForcible entry into territory
exploitation · oppression · hegemony · supremacy · sovereignty · plunder · assimilation · resistance
Those who establish homes
- homesteadersLand-claiming rural settlers
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
- plantationLarge-scale farming operation
- outpostRemote military station
settlement · frontier · establish · township · encampment · emigrate · immigrate · relocate
Nucleus-free single-celled organisms
- microbesMicroscopic living organisms
- organismsIndividual living entities
- infectiousAble to spread disease
- proliferateReproduce or spread swiftly
propagate · spread · host · gut flora · pathogens · contaminate · inhabit · establish
Harmful non-native organism
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- native speciesOrganisms originating in a region
- spreadTo distribute widely
proliferate · displace · outcompete · establish · introduced species · biodiversity · encroach · territory
empire
Domain under unified control
- subjugationForcing into submission
- annexationAbsorbing territory into jurisdiction
- occupationOne's regular paid work
invasion · exploitation · oppression · hegemony · supremacy · sovereignty · plunder · assimilation · resistance · conqueror
settlers
Those who establish homes
- homesteadersLand-claiming rural settlers
- pioneersFirst to explore territory
- plantationLarge-scale farming operation
outpost · settlement · frontier · establish · township · encampment · emigrate · immigrate · relocate · populate
bacteria
Nucleus-free single-celled organisms
- microbesMicroscopic living organisms
- organismsIndividual living entities
- infectiousAble to spread disease
proliferate · propagate · spread · host · gut flora · pathogens · contaminate · inhabit · establish · populate
invasive species
Harmful non-native organism
- habitatOrganism's natural environment
- ecosystemInterconnected organisms and surroundings
- native speciesOrganisms originating in a region
spread · proliferate · displace · outcompete · establish · introduced species · biodiversity · encroach · territory · niche
colonizesliberates
Sets free from captivity
decolonizes · frees · emancipates · relinquishes · cedes
colonizesevacuates
Leaves a dangerous place
vacates · abandons · deserts · depopulates · leaves
colonizeseradicates
Destroys utterly and completely
eliminates · clears · vacates · abandons · sterilizes
- space colonizationSettling beyond Earth
- British colonizationEngland's historic overseas conquest
- European colonizationForeign powers seizing territories
- Mars colonizationInhabiting another world
- Spanish colonizationIberia's global territorial acquisition
- French colonizationOverseas territorial acquisition by Paris
colonize, colonization, colonizer, colonized, colonizing, colonizers, colonizations