mother country

1
as in birthplace
a place of origin Greece can boast to being the mother country of democracy

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in home
the land of one's birth, residence, or citizenship even after decades of living in their adopted nation, they maintained a strong attachment to the mother country

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 country 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 The prime minister of Greenland called on the country to strive for greater independence from its mother country, Denmark, in a New Year’s address delivered this week, in light of the controversy surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for the U.S. to purchase the island. Timothy Nerozzi, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mother country
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother country
Noun
  • For researchers, the dismantling of the birthplace of climate modeling stings.
    Zack Savitsky, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Both Italy and Spain claim to be the birthplace of this variety, but according to the grape geneticists, Spain appears to be the most likely place of origin.
    Elisabetta Tosi, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Wyoming opened with a 10-0 win at Akron before beating FCS Northern Iowa 31-7 in its home opener.
    Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Alcaraz, silver buzz cut and all, had no answers for Fritz, the home-state hero who played a nearly flawless match.
    Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 21 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This project will also focus on creating a space with multicultural appeal, in the center of the cradle of the Renaissance.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2025
  • However, looking deep into these swirling cradles of planet formation has always been tricky.
    Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Refugeoly is designed to navigate your way from a country in conflict to a country that grants you asylum, essentially a new home.
    Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The outpouring of support for Qatar after Israel’s attack on a Hamas compound in Doha was notable, given that many of the same countries had embargoed it only a few years ago.
    Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 19 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mother country.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20country. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!