1. large farms in tropical or subtropical regions where crops such as sugar, coffee, or tobacco are grown for commercial sale
Usage: usually plural; historical: often associated with slavery in colonial America
2. a large area of land planted with trees, especially for timber production
Usage: usually plural
3. a colony or settlement established in a new territory
Usage: historical; archaic

Examples

• Sugar plantations dominated the economy of the Caribbean islands in the 18th century.
• The company owns several large coffee plantations in Central America.
• Timber plantations provide sustainable sources of wood for the construction industry.
• Many historical plantations in the American South are now museums.
• The government invested in pine plantations to restore the forest.
• Early European plantations in the New World grew crops for export to Europe.