coloniser

A coloniser is a person or political entity that establishes a colony: a settlement and governing presence in a foreign territory, typically by moving settlers and asserting political control over local populations and resources. The term is often used in historical contexts to describe actors in the era of colonialism, when European powers established colonies in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, as well as in other periods of migratory expansion.

The word derives from colonise + -er; in American English the spelling colonizer is common, while British English uses coloniser. The verb form colonise and noun coloniser reflect the Latin root colonia meaning a settlement.

Colonisers may be state actors, corporate enterprises, or immigrant groups. They establish governance structures, claim land, extract resources, and introduce legal and economic systems that align with the coloniser's interests. Colonisation often involves displacement or marginalisation of indigenous peoples, changes to land tenure, and cultural exchange, with long-term social and environmental impacts; ethical assessments of colonisation have shifted toward critical and post-colonial perspectives.

In contemporary discourse, the term can be used descriptively to refer to historical actors or to discuss theories of colonialism; it may carry political implications depending on context. Some scholars distinguish between colonisers—those who establish and maintain colonies—and colonised communities. See also colonisation, decolonisation, imperialism.