recolonize
verb
re·col·o·nize
(ˌ)rē-ˈkä-lə-ˌnīz 
recolonized; recolonizing; recolonizes
: to colonize (a previously colonized region or habitat) again
At the end of the ice age some 10,000 years ago, reindeer were among the first animals to recolonize northern Scandinavia.—
Bryan Alexander
Bryan AlexanderThe half-century's colonization of Normandy in the fifteenth century had been followed by plans to recolonize Ireland from about 1520 onward, but tentative efforts to put those plans into effect after 1550 had met with little success.—David B. Quinn
David B. QuinnExamples of recolonize in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The collected data will shed light on how species adapt and recolonize—or don’t.
—Anton Sorokin, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
The warning was originally aimed at certain European powers that wanted to colonize or recolonize certain parts of the Americas.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024
Using mulch or vigorous native groundcovers to cover bare soil will help discourage any new generations of ground ivy from recolonizing the site.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2024
Having basically recolonized independent Belarus, Putin insists Ukraine has no right to exist as an independent country.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 15 May 2024
Those ingredients were essentially the same ones used to treat the bodies of New Kingdom royalty 2,500 years later, ensuring that decay-causing bacteria couldn’t recolonize the body once it had been dried out.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2023
Within a year, the once-black areas became dark again as the microorganisms started recolonizing the sterile plots — far more quickly than usually occurs with the lichens and other microbes in biocrusts.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 12 July 2023
The latest example is particularly ironic: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to restore the Russian empire by recolonizing Ukraine has opened the door to a postimperial Europe.
—Timothy Garton Ash, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
There are published studies demonstrating a rich diversity of plants and animals have recolonized the red forest like a wilderness preserve.
—Monique Brouillette, Popular Mechanics, 6 July 2023
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Anton Sorokin, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025
The warning was originally aimed at certain European powers that wanted to colonize or recolonize certain parts of the Americas.
—Steve Forbes, Forbes, 5 Sep. 2024
Using mulch or vigorous native groundcovers to cover bare soil will help discourage any new generations of ground ivy from recolonizing the site.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2024
Having basically recolonized independent Belarus, Putin insists Ukraine has no right to exist as an independent country.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 15 May 2024
Those ingredients were essentially the same ones used to treat the bodies of New Kingdom royalty 2,500 years later, ensuring that decay-causing bacteria couldn’t recolonize the body once it had been dried out.
—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Sep. 2023
Within a year, the once-black areas became dark again as the microorganisms started recolonizing the sterile plots — far more quickly than usually occurs with the lichens and other microbes in biocrusts.
—Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 12 July 2023
The latest example is particularly ironic: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attempt to restore the Russian empire by recolonizing Ukraine has opened the door to a postimperial Europe.
—Timothy Garton Ash, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
There are published studies demonstrating a rich diversity of plants and animals have recolonized the red forest like a wilderness preserve.
—Monique Brouillette, Popular Mechanics, 6 July 2023
Cite this Entry
“Recolonize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recolonize. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
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