Words / B2

KOL-uh-nee/ˈkɒləni/

A colony is a territory ruled from another country: a former British colony, colonial rule (the adjective is already in the dictionary). Country is everyday and independent; overseas territory is a modern official cousin. Colony is also a group of animals living together (an ant colony). In speech, a territory ruled from abroad covers the history sense. Do not call a holiday resort a colony, and do not use colony as a casual synonym for neighbourhood.

Meaning

A country or area controlled by another country; also a group of animals living together.

Examples

• “The island was once a British colony.”
• “Independence talks began twenty years after the island stopped being a colony.”
• “A colony of gulls nested on the warehouse roof, which is the animal sense.”

Good to know

A territory ruled from abroad. Adjective: colonial. Also: animals living together. Not a holiday resort or a street.

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