the old country
noun
: the country where a person was born or lived before moving to a new country
They left the old country more than 30 years ago.
This music reminds me of the old country.
Examples of the old country in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And for those who could afford it, back in the old country, brisket was served on the Sabbath or holidays, wrapping it in loving memories of family and community.
—
Judy Bart Kancigor, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Recognition by the new country, America, for their military service in the old country, Laos, after having fled the old country for the new country, has been a decades long process for HMong soldiers.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
That particularly appealed to many Jewish immigrants, for whom laws in the old country had long served as vehicles of oppression.
—Geoffrey Baym, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
When European explorers first reported these creatures to their compatriots in the old country, they were held to be wondrous and amazing creatures, a fit subject for sooty Londoners to gawk at in museums.
—Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2024
The players were immigrants or the sons of immigrants, playing a game that was considered a national pastime in the old country but little more than a waste of time in the new one.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024
The film begins with a frenzied prologue that cuts across both sides of the Atlantic, fusing together the old country and the new — past and present — in a way that instantly denies Corbet’s hero any hope of leaving his trauma behind.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
This reduction helped immigrant communities assimilate, as they were no longer continually refreshed by new arrivals from the old country.
—Steven Camarota, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2017
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Judy Bart Kancigor, Oc Register, 11 Sep. 2025
Recognition by the new country, America, for their military service in the old country, Laos, after having fled the old country for the new country, has been a decades long process for HMong soldiers.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 8 July 2025
That particularly appealed to many Jewish immigrants, for whom laws in the old country had long served as vehicles of oppression.
—Geoffrey Baym, The Conversation, 5 May 2025
When European explorers first reported these creatures to their compatriots in the old country, they were held to be wondrous and amazing creatures, a fit subject for sooty Londoners to gawk at in museums.
—Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 2 Dec. 2024
The players were immigrants or the sons of immigrants, playing a game that was considered a national pastime in the old country but little more than a waste of time in the new one.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024
The film begins with a frenzied prologue that cuts across both sides of the Atlantic, fusing together the old country and the new — past and present — in a way that instantly denies Corbet’s hero any hope of leaving his trauma behind.
—David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 1 Sep. 2024
This reduction helped immigrant communities assimilate, as they were no longer continually refreshed by new arrivals from the old country.
—Steven Camarota, Foreign Affairs, 31 Mar. 2017
Cite this Entry
“The old country.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20old%20country. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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