verb

• (transitive) To settle (a place) with colonists, and hence make (a place) into a colony.
• (transitive) To settle (a group of people, a species, or the like) in a place as a colony.
• (transitive) To settle among and establish control over (the indigenous people of an area).
• (intransitive) To begin a colony or colonies.
• (transitive, social sciences, by extension) To intrude into and take over (the autonomy, experience, social movement, etc, of a less powerful person or group); to commandeer or appropriate.