(colonies)
1.
A ~ is a country which is controlled by a more powerful country.
In France’s former North African colonies, anti-French feeling is growing...
N-COUNT: usu supp N
2.
You can refer to a place where a particular group of people lives as a particular kind of ~.
...a penal ~.
...industrial colonies.
N-COUNT: usu with supp
3.
A ~ of birds, insects, or animals is a group of them that live together.
The Shetlands are famed for their colonies of sea birds...
N-COUNT: oft N of n