mother country
noun
1
: the country of one's parents or ancestors
also
: fatherland
2
: the country from which the people of a colony or former colony derive their origin
3
: a country that is the origin of something
the mother country of golf
Examples of mother country in a Sentence
Greece can boast to being the mother country of democracy.
even after decades of living in their adopted nation, they maintained a strong attachment to the mother country
Recent Examples on the Web
This founding tenet of the Bel Paese now looks set to change — ending diaspora dreams of returning to the mother country, and meaning that Italians who move abroad risk denying citizenship to their descendants.
—
Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Oh: First and foremost, Felix and I are very privileged and proud to be bringing a piece of our mother country's culture to the U.S.
—Dave Knox, Forbes.com, 6 Feb. 2026
While July 4 is not a holiday in the United Kingdom, the long history of friendship as well as alliance between our two nations has removed any lingering friction from the successful efforts of colonials across the Atlantic to break away from the mother country.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Even so, Maduro’s ouster gave her a lot of hope for her mother country.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mother country
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Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Oh: First and foremost, Felix and I are very privileged and proud to be bringing a piece of our mother country's culture to the U.S.
—Dave Knox, Forbes.com, 6 Feb. 2026
While July 4 is not a holiday in the United Kingdom, the long history of friendship as well as alliance between our two nations has removed any lingering friction from the successful efforts of colonials across the Atlantic to break away from the mother country.
—Arthur I. Cyr, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Even so, Maduro’s ouster gave her a lot of hope for her mother country.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for mother country
Cite this Entry
“Mother country.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother%20country. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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