colonising
colonising — verb
1. taking control of another land by moving settlers there and ruling the people wh
taking control of another land by moving settlers there and ruling the people who already live in it
By 1900, Britain was colonising several islands and building harbours along the coast.
past continuous: was colonising + place
Felipe wrote an essay on how Spain spent centuries colonising parts of South America.
spend + time + colonising + place
The film showed European powers colonising distant lands for trade, land, and labour.
Noa argued that colonising a country always destroys the older ways of life there.
- decolonising
ending outside rule and giving control back to local people
文法句型
colonising + place
用法筆記
Subject is usually a state, empire, or group of settlers, with a country or region as object. Suggests lasting settlement and political control, not a short military raid.
常見錯誤
2. when plants, animals, or bacteria start living and growing in a new area in larg
when plants, animals, or bacteria start living and growing in a new area in larger numbers
Within months, small crabs were colonising the mangrove roots near the village harbour.
animals colonising a habitat
Meera noticed moss colonising the damp bricks behind her grandmother's garden shed.
Doctors warned that bacteria colonising a feeding tube can make patients seriously ill.
After the fire, wildflowers began colonising the blackened hillside above the river.
- spreading
broader and less technical; does not always imply settling into a new habitat
- establishing themselves
describes becoming firmly present, but is less specific about biological growth
- dying out
the living thing disappears from the area instead of becoming established
文法句型
colonising + habitat
colonising + surface
用法筆記
Common in science writing. The subject is the living thing that is spreading, not the place it is spreading into. Often used with bacteria, plants, insects, or small animals.
3. spreading through a place or area of life so heavily that you crowd others out o
spreading through a place or area of life so heavily that you crowd others out or shape how things work there
Cheap souvenir shops have been colonising the old station road in Brighton for years.
shops colonising a high street
Aylin complained that one video app was colonising her son's free time after school.
colonising + area of life
Bright pop-ups were colonising the news website until readers could barely find the articles.
Foreign coffee chains have slowly been colonising the town centre since the rebuild.
- dominating
focuses on control, without the image of spreading into every corner of a space
- taking over
more general and informal; may describe a single sudden change rather than slow spread
- withdrawing from
leaving a place or field instead of filling it up
文法句型
colonising + place
colonising + field of activity
用法筆記
Common in critical writing about business, media, or culture. Tone is usually disapproving — it suggests unwelcome control or crowding rather than neutral growth.