as in language
the stock of words, pronunciation, and grammar used by a people as their basic means of communication
although the anthropologist could speak the local language fairly well, she was always glad to find someone who shared her mother tongue
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mother tongue
Playing off a six-language broadcast which means it can be viewed by 75% of Europeans in their mother tongue, Arte is still growing.
—
John Hopewell, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Work with people of different ages, backgrounds, perspectives, and mother tongues.
—Rachel Konrad, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
John Hopewell, Variety, 26 Mar. 2026
First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Work with people of different ages, backgrounds, perspectives, and mother tongues.
—Rachel Konrad, Time, 9 Dec. 2025
Each actress nails the comedic timing – and the accented English that flows with the cadence of their mother tongues.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, Cincinnati Enquirer, 7 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong apologized for using vulgar language in a heated exchange with a fan during Sunday’s loss to the Chicago White Sox.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
In 1996, Fuhrman pleaded no contest to perjury for falsely denying his use of racist language.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 May 2026
Noun
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That tension has long been part of Stewart’s red carpet shoe vocabulary.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
16 May 2026
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Swifties often attempt to speak or sing as Taylor Swift does, employing a similar vocabulary and vocalizations.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Floating above the soundstage was a massive eyeball with a rainbow runway carpet protruding from it like a tongue.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026
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Also unique to this new style is its circular design which replaces the traditional lattice mesh on the tongue and side ventilation cutout.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
16 May 2026
Noun
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Yet Cornelius Krull, the patriarch, speaks only a German dialect and never utters more than two words.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
14 May 2026
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Many older residents speak not just Italian and Croatian, but also a local dialect derived from Old Venetian and Old Croatian.—
Kevin West,
Travel + Leisure,
8 May 2026
Noun
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And why in the world would anyone composing after the Second World War reëmbrace the long-irrelevant late-Romantic idiom of Puccini and Strauss, with its lush harmonies, rich orchestration, and powerful melodies?—
Russell Platt,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
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These days, Andersen has the idioms flying in Carolina’s locker room.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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