1. people who establish or settle in a colony, especially in a territory controlled by their home country
Usage: plural form of colonizer
2. people who take control of another country or territory and exploit its resources and people
Usage: often used in historical or critical contexts

Examples

• European colonizers arrived in the Americas in the 16th century.
• The colonizers established trading posts along the coast.
• Many colonizers brought diseases that devastated native populations.
• The colonizers imposed their language and customs on local people.
• Some colonizers married into indigenous communities.
• The effects of colonizers are still felt in many countries today.
• Indigenous groups resisted the colonizers for decades.