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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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
About three-quarters of Singapore’s residents claim Chinese descent and, at the same time, English is its mother tongue and business lingua franca.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 16 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
About three-quarters of Singapore’s residents claim Chinese descent and, at the same time, English is its mother tongue and business lingua franca.
—Kevin West, Travel + Leisure, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
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Nationally, median early career wages range from $40,000 for a foreign language degree to $80,000 for a computer science degree, according to an analysis by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.—
Marissa Meador,
IndyStar,
9 Jan. 2026
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Administration officials have cut that time roughly in half, partly by eliminating Spanish-language courses.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Americans argued fiercely about whether to intervene abroad, but largely shared the same moral vocabulary.—
Philip Martin,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
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Regular reading leads to positive impacts on your mental and emotional well-being, including slowing down cognitive decline, bolstering empathy and curiosity, improving your vocabulary and reducing stress.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Heather is accused of hiding behind her humor, Lisa of hiding behind materialistic things, and Angie of hiding behind her sharp tongue, for example.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
7 Jan. 2026
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After turning the lock with his teeth and tongue, Dawson pushes open the front door and walks out into the night.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Though the Norn language has gone, the local dialect remains distinctive, as fans of the BBC detective show Shetland will know.—
Sarah Moss,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Jan. 2026
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Language classes, which previously covered only a specific dialect of Spanish, have been replaced with robust translation and interpretation services that apply to multiple languages.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There’s this Douglas Adams joke that in no language is there the idiom as pretty as an airport.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 Jan. 2026
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As a substitute, the board selected local architect William Pereira, who, never fully at ease with a modernist idiom, hewed to the middlebrow tastes and conservative politics of California’s philanthropic parvenus.—
Michaëla de Lacaze Mohrmann,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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