1a country or area under the full or partial political control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country:Japanese forces overran the French colony of Indo-China
a group of people living in a colony, consisting of the original settlers and their descendants and successors:the colony looked forward to fifty or more years of autonomy
(the colonies) all the foreign countries or areas formerly under British political control:many poachers were exiled to the colonies
(the colonies) the thirteen areas on the east coast of North America that gained independence from Britain and founded the United States of America.
2a group of people of one nationality or race living in a foreign place:the British colony in New York
a place where a group of people with the same occupation or interest live together:a nudist colony
3 Biology a community of animals or plants of one kind living close together or forming a physically connected structure:a colony of seals
a group of fungi or bacteria grown from a single spore or cell on a culture medium.
