Thesaurus results for MOTHER-TONGUE

mother tongue

noun

Definition of mother tongue

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

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 tongue From the start of his career, Fela aimed to reach a larger and Pan-African audience by singing almost exclusively in Nigerian Pidgin English (rather than his mother tongue, Yoruba, which doesn't translate throughout most of the continent). — Ian Brennan, NPR, 15 Apr. 2026 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 The group last delivered a full-length in its mother tongue, Be, in November 2020. — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 20 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 See All Example Sentences for mother tongue

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue

Noun

Senators Lummis and Bernie Moreno (OH) met with White House officials to discuss the bill and explore potential ethics language.

— Cleve Mesidor, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
The film boasts an A-list lineup for its English language voice cast, with stars including Ayo Edebiri, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Finn Wolfhard, Rachel House and Werner Herzog.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 20 July 2026

Definition of language

Noun

Scheffler had not seen conditions like this — a combination of yellow and brown, which translates to firm and fiery in a links vocabulary.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Designed in collaboration with Ukrainian architect and designer Victoria Yakusha, the boutique translates the brand’s restrained jewelry vocabulary into a nearly monochromatic interior.

— Thomas Waller, Footwear News, 14 July 2026

Definition of vocabulary

Noun

Jeana Keough, one of the OG stars of The Real Housewives of Orange County, has been diagnosed with tongue cancer at the age of 70, her daughter confirmed.

— Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 19 July 2026
The Rolling Stones The iconic red tongue-and-lips logo of the British rock band the Rolling Stones continues to rank among the most creative logos ever designed.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 July 2026

Definition of tongue

Noun

Textbooks were in German, classmates spoke a Saxon dialect, while my grandfather’s novels were in Romanian.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 July 2026
In India, the book Why Tibet Matters has been translated into 15 local dialects to galvanize solidarity among the host community.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 July 2026

Definition of dialect

Noun

Please put on your batteries — a Mexican Spanish idiom that means to cowboy up.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
Rooms are comfortable and in the same white idiom, often with jet-black bathrooms; some are duplexes with high ceilings and large windows.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 July 2026