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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mother tongue
While many nations have codified their mother tongue—France with French, Japan with Japanese, or Mexico with Spanish—America has always relied on practice and practicality rather than statute.
—
Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Japanese is the only language that leaves Li’s mouth, but her occasional inner monologues are in her mother tongue, the most crucial example expressing her growing conflict with the very act of writing itself.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2025
Many countries offer visas for language learning, which are student visas specifically designed for people interested in studying the mother tongue of a destination.
—Solo Travel, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025
But some residents see a path toward preserving their mother tongue.
—Safina Nabi, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Japanese is the only language that leaves Li’s mouth, but her occasional inner monologues are in her mother tongue, the most crucial example expressing her growing conflict with the very act of writing itself.
—Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 17 Aug. 2025
Many countries offer visas for language learning, which are student visas specifically designed for people interested in studying the mother tongue of a destination.
—Solo Travel, AFAR Media, 14 Aug. 2025
But some residents see a path toward preserving their mother tongue.
—Safina Nabi, Christian Science Monitor, 22 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
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His critics might say such language is a disgrace to the presidency.—
Cal Thomas,
Arkansas Online,
24 Feb. 2026
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Speaking with Spanish language sports publication Diario Deportivo Diez the day after the Honduran club football’s worst defeat in CONCACAF, Bubara lauded LAFC for the 6-1 destruction.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The central concern that pushed the Council to do all this was not primarily Palestinian rights—in those days, the word Palestinian was not in its vocabulary—but changes its leaders found alarming in the way American Jews chose to define themselves.—
Nicholas Lemann,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
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Banish the word ‘struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Perennials like brittlebush, creosote and the little flame tongues of chuparosa are out.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
21 Feb. 2026
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The bright red, tubular flowers attract hummingbirds, whose long beaks and tongues perfectly suit the flower shape.—
Anne Readel,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Nearby is Fwala, a Qatari dialect word for a dessert assortment served to guests.—
Rachel Morris,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
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Steven Gebelin, who represented Puig in 2021 and 2022, testified at trial that his then-client tried to be helpful during the interview but, because the interpreter’s Spanish dialect differed from Puig’s, his answers were translated poorly.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Those books introduced me to a vision of American teenage life and taught me the rhythms and idioms of American English, nuances that would later replace my Britishisms and shape my career as a journalist.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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Next to the particularities of place—the Midwest, the South—or enmeshed with it, are the particularities of language, of idiom, and ways of saying.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
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