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
Their speeches were now peppered with professions of faith in the nation, in Magyar tradition, in the homeland, in national interests, in respectability, in middle-class values, in the family, in love of the mother country.
—
Paul Lendvai, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
Korea, director Bong’s mother country, was our first choice in terms of where to debut the film.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
In my mother country, all the tools of propaganda would keep painful truths at bay.
—Vadim Smyslov, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024
Not all Americans thought British infringements warranted a severing of ties with the mother country, and after the Continental Congress declared independence, the struggle against Britain became a civil war among Americans, pitting Patriots against Loyalists.
—Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for mother country 
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.
Paul Lendvai, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
Korea, director Bong’s mother country, was our first choice in terms of where to debut the film.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024
In my mother country, all the tools of propaganda would keep painful truths at bay.
—Vadim Smyslov, WIRED, 21 Feb. 2024
Not all Americans thought British infringements warranted a severing of ties with the mother country, and after the Continental Congress declared independence, the struggle against Britain became a civil war among Americans, pitting Patriots against Loyalists.
—Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2021
See all Example Sentences for mother country
Dictionary Entries Near mother country
Cite this Entry
“Mother country.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mother%20country. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share