mother country

1
as in birthplace
a place of origin Greece can boast to being the mother country of democracy

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in home
the land of one's birth, residence, or citizenship even after decades of living in their adopted nation, they maintained a strong attachment to the mother country

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mother country In my mother country, all the tools of propaganda would keep painful truths at bay. Vadim Smyslov, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024 Not all Americans thought British infringements warranted a severing of ties with the mother country, and after the Continental Congress declared independence, the struggle against Britain became a civil war among Americans, pitting Patriots against Loyalists. Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2021 Their sources of intelligence repeatedly assured British leaders that the great majority of the colonists remained loyal to the mother country. T.h. Breen, The New York Review of Books, 2 Feb. 2023 The skewers, simultaneously earthy and spicy, are served atop food-grade wax paper designed to mimic the newspaper on which suya is typically served in the mother country. Tim Carman, Washington Post, 3 Jan. 2023 See all Example Sentences for mother country 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother country
Noun
  • After all, North Carolina is the birthplace of human flight.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Feb. 2025
  • The development is just the latest skirmish in a decades-long war that cyclists have waged to legally ride the trails in mountain biking’s birthplace.
    Maureen Gaffney, Outside Online, 30 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Leighton Meester and Adam Brody have been through it recently, counting among the first public figures to lose their home in the Los Angeles wildfires.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 8 Feb. 2025
  • In New York and other cities across the nation, educators are grappling with fear among students and parents that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents will show up at schools – or their homes – as the Trump administration vows to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.
    Ray Sanchez, CNN, 8 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • From agricultural tools to industrial machines, from cradles to skyscrapers, our species has grown by learning, discarding, and rebuilding.
    Rick Tumlinson, Space.com, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Paige Bueckers, watching from the bench with a knee injury, was gesturing with imaginary bow and arrow, imaginary rocking of the cradle, imaginary goggles.
    Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • Comments The Voice has proved to be a massively successful format worldwide, allowing eager singers from dozens of countries to show off their vocal abilities.
    Alamin Yohannes, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2025
  • Reports from Canadian news outlets warn of a potential recession in the northern country if Trump’s 25% tariff on Canadian exports sustains, along with the retaliatory tariffs Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced would go into effect on Feb 4.
    Kate Linderman, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near mother country

Cite this Entry

“Mother country.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20country. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.

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