mother country

Definition of mother countrynext
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

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 Since the condition of the Royal Navy was of prime importance to the British Parliament, during the colonial era that body passed several acts that sought to entice or compel colonists in British North America to produce naval stores for the benefit of the mother country. Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2025 Reread Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of all the rights that King George III had denied his American subjects and forced them to break from the mother country. New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2025 Veins branching along my skin like the waterways of my mother country. Lauren Vuong, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025 Still, many colonists had not seriously considered separating from the mother country—until a history-making pamphlet was published in the City of Brotherly Love on January 10, 1776. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mother country
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother country
Noun
  • Blake’s birthplace at 28 Broad Street has been obliterated by a brown granite tower, a monument to the worldview of the City of Westminster’s postwar planning department, but his influence is everywhere in the other London.
    Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Webb pinpointed the inner disk — roughly where Earth and the inner planets would have formed in our solar system — as the birthplace of these crystals.
    Samantha Mathewson, Space.com, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The Tennessee National Guard said about 170 soldiers and airmen were assisting with recovery efforts, including helping more than 200 people stranded in vehicles and homes and providing rides to nearly 300 emergency and health care workers.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Extreme heat fuels out of control bushfires Bushfires, fueled by the soaring temperatures, have menaced towns in the state of Victoria, prompting evacuations as volunteer firefighters attempted to douse flames around homes.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The installation is a large-scale wooden cradle, normally a symbol of safety and nurture.
    Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2026
  • The device comes with a USB-C charging cradle and cable.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The military leader of the West African country has accused the presidents of France, Benin and Ivory Coast of supporting the armed group behind the attack, without providing any evidence to support the claim.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
  • China for decades has cultivated an extensive network of ties across Latin America and the Caribbean, a region that encompasses more than 30 countries and 670 million people.
    Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 31 Jan. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mother country.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20country. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.

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