mother country

noun

1
: the country of one's parents or ancestors
also : fatherland
2
: the country from which the people of a colony or former colony derive their origin
3
: a country that is the origin of something

Examples of mother country in a Sentence

Greece can boast to being the mother country of democracy. even after decades of living in their adopted nation, they maintained a strong attachment to the mother country
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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 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

Word History

First Known Use

1567, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mother country was in 1567

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Cite this Entry

“Mother country.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother%20country. Accessed 3 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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