col·o·nize (also colonise British English) /ˈkɒlənaɪz $ ˈkɑː-/ verb [transitiveT] 2 if animals or plants colonize an area, large numbers of them start to live there 〔动植物在某地〕聚居;大批繁殖;大批生长 a dead tree that has been colonized by ants 被蚂蚁占据的一棵死树
—colonizer noun [countableC]
—colonization /ˌkɒlənaɪˈzeɪʃən $ ˌkɑːlənə-/ noun [uncountableU]