colonise

colonise — verb

1. to take a foreign land under your power by moving your people in to live there a

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to take a foreign land under your power by moving your people in to live there and govern it

例句

Portugal tried to colonise parts of West Africa long before other European powers arrived.

colonise + place (historical state subject)

Andrés said no rich country has the right to colonise a weaker one.

colonise as bare infinitive after 'right to'

同義詞
  • settle

    neutral — describes people moving in to live, without the idea of political domination

  • occupy

    covers military or temporary control without the idea of bringing settlers

  • annex

    formal political term for adding a territory to one's own state, often by law or treaty

反義詞
  • decolonise

    to end outside rule and return power to the local people

文法句型

colonise + place

用法筆記

Subject is usually a state, an empire, or a group of settlers; object is a country, region, or territory. Implies long-term settlement and political control, not just short-term military presence.

常見錯誤

❌The troops colonised the airport for two days.
✅The troops occupied the airport for two days.
💡brief military control is 'occupy'; 'colonise' means sending settlers and ruling over a long period.

2. (of plants, animals, or bacteria) to move into a new area and start growing ther

2.動詞及物C1
釋義

(of plants, animals, or bacteria) to move into a new area and start growing there in larger numbers

例句

Within a single season, weeds will colonise any flowerbed that Padma leaves untouched.

colonise + place (plants as subject)

Linh studied how seabirds slowly colonise small rocky islands after the last storms of winter.

colonise as bare infinitive (birds as subject)

同義詞
  • spread

    much broader; does not imply that the organism becomes settled in the new area

  • establish

    focuses on becoming firmly present, but does not strongly suggest growth in numbers

反義詞
  • die out

    the organism vanishes from the area instead of taking hold there

文法句型

colonise + habitat

colonise + surface

用法筆記

Common in biology and medical writing. Subject is the living thing that spreads, not the place. Often paired with bacteria, plants, fungi, insects, or small marine animals.

3. to fill or take charge of a place or area of life so completely that there is li

3.動詞及物C2
釋義

to fill or take charge of a place or area of life so completely that there is little room left for anything else

例句

Property investors have started to colonise the old fishing village near Aylin's family home.

colonise + place (negative tone)

Christopher complained that work emails now colonise every quiet evening he tries to spend reading.

colonise + area of life (figurative)

同義詞
  • dominate

    focuses on control, without the picture of pouring into every corner of a space

  • take over

    more general and informal; may describe a quick or sudden change rather than slow spread

反義詞

文法句型

colonise + place

colonise + area of activity

用法筆記

Often appears in critical writing about business, media, or culture. Tone is usually disapproving — it suggests unwelcome takeover or saturation, not neutral growth. Distinguish from sense 1: there is no real settlement, only heavy presence.