The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Colonize \Col"o*nize\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Colonized; p. pr. &
   vb. n. Colonizing.] [Cf. F. coloniser.]
   To plant or establish a colony or colonies in; to people with
   colonists; to migrate to and settle in. --Bacon.
   [1913 Webster]

         They that would thus colonize the stars with
         inhabitants.                             --Howell.
   [1913 Webster]

The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Colonize \Col"o*nize\, v. i.
   To remove to, and settle in, a distant country; to make a
   colony. --C. Buchanan.
   [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

colonize
    v 1: settle as a colony; of countries in the developing world;
         "Europeans colonized Africa in the 17th century" [syn:
         colonize, colonise] [ant: decolonise, decolonize]
    2: settle as colonists or establish a colony (in); "The British
       colonized the East Coast" [syn: colonize, colonise]

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

68 Moby Thesaurus words for "colonize":
   adopt, anchor, appropriate, arrogate, assume, billet at, bivouac,
   burrow, camp, come to anchor, conquer, denizen, domesticate,
   drop anchor, empeople, ensconce, enslave, establish residence,
   hive, hog, indent, inhabit, jump a claim, keep house, live at,
   locate, make free with, make use of, monopolize, moor, move, nest,
   occupy, overrun, park, people, perch, plant, populate, preempt,
   preoccupy, prepossess, relocate, requisition, reside, roost,
   set up housekeeping, set up shop, settle, settle down, settle in,
   sit down, sit on, squat, squat on, stand, stay at, strike root,
   subjugate, take all of, take it all, take over, take possession of,
   take residence at, take root, take up, take up residence, usurp