old country

noun, often capitalized O&C

Definition of old country

: an emigrant's country of origin especially : one in Europe —usually used with the

Examples of old country in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The dish with pork is what reminds me more of home, like the old country home. — Ilaf Esuf, SELF, "How 10 People Cook the Foods They Grew Up With After Immigrating to the United States," 4 Jan. 2019 But with the Armenian diaspora, the dancing, which continued as a way to keep connected to the old country, became even more individualistic, Rapkievian says, noting that the dances were further influenced by the host countries. — Roger Catlin, Smithsonian, "How Armenian Dance Adapted Over Time and Place," 26 June 2018 Those who grew up in the old country weren’t taught such things in village schools. — John Kass, chicagotribune.com, "On Independence Day, thanking my family for coming to America," 3 July 2018 If a Jew came to a village in the old country somewhere . . . — Hannah Natanson, Washington Post, "They survived the Holocaust, and then he rescued her from communism. Sixty-five years later, they’ve reunited.," 9 July 2018 Oddly, the oldest traditions continue more in the U.S. than in the old country, Gary Lind-Sinanian said. — Roger Catlin, Smithsonian, "How Armenian Dance Adapted Over Time and Place," 26 June 2018 As my father knew well, duty could not be so easily left behind in the old country. — Aaron Gilbreath, Longreads, "We Are Scientists," 5 June 2018 A half-century ago, Filipino seafarers re-created a piece of the old country on this weedy hillside in San Pedro. — Joe Mozingo, latimes.com, "One of L.A.'s oldest community gardens thrived for decades. Then the water wars began.," 4 June 2018 The dish has had a presence in Montreal for more than 100 years; its origin can be traced back to Hungarian Jews who brought it over from the old country. — Justin Phillips, San Francisco Chronicle, "Augie’s Montreal Deli plans Valentine’s Day debut in Berkeley," 22 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'old country.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Old Church Slavic

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The first known use of old country was in 1751

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