1
as in birthplace
a place of origin
Greece can boast to being the mother country of democracy
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mother country
The prime minister of Greenland called on the country to strive for greater independence from its mother country, Denmark, in a New Year’s address delivered this week, in light of the controversy surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for the U.S. to purchase the island.
—
Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 Jan. 2025
Korea, director Bong’s mother country, was our first choice in terms of where to debut the film.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
In my mother country, all the tools of propaganda would keep painful truths at bay.
—Vadim Smyslov, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for mother country
Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 Jan. 2025
Korea, director Bong’s mother country, was our first choice in terms of where to debut the film.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
In my mother country, all the tools of propaganda would keep painful truths at bay.
—Vadim Smyslov, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for mother country
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother country
Noun
-
Without one of those, a person must show a driver’s license or identification along with another document showing birthplace, such as a birth certificate, naturalization certificate, consular report of birth abroad or final adoption decree.—
Grace Abels,
Austin American Statesman,
2 July 2025
-
His birthplace, Antigo, Wis., an hour and a half northwest of Green Bay, had a fair and D. Wayne ... liked the horses.—
John Cherwa,
Los Angeles Times,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Carolina’s Johns & Roscoe blanked their opponents in Men’s, but Atlanta easily won both Mixed ties to move on and send Ben Johns home winless.—
Todd Boss,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
In December, Biden pardoned his son, Hunter Biden, who was convicted on tax evasion and federal gun charges; commuted the sentences of nearly 1,500 people on home confinement; and pardoned 39 people who were convicted of nonviolent crimes.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
When the handset was resting on the cradle, the line was closed.—
Larry Magid,
Mercury News,
3 July 2025
-
To borrow from Walt Whitman, the Mooch is out of the cradle, endlessly rocking.—
Jeff John Roberts,
Fortune,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
The European Commission and its president, Ursula von der Leyen, are navigating a tightrope–balancing a unified negotiating stance with the political and economic pressures facing individual countries.—
Myron Brilliant,
Time,
9 July 2025
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Tariffs on more than 100 countries with which the United States had a deficit?—
Ken Roberts,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mother country.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20country. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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