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plural colonies
[count]
1 a: an area that is controlled by or belongs to a country and is usually far away from it
Massachusetts was one of the original 13 British colonies that later became the United States.
a former French colony in Africa
b: a group of people sent by a country to live in such a colony
a colony of settlers
2 : a group of plants or animals living or growing in one place
an ant colony
a colony of bacteria
3 : a group of people who are similar in some way and who live in a certain area
an artist colony
a leper colony
also : the land or buildings used by such a group