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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mother tongue
Miranda is a rare instance of Björk writing her lyrics entirely in Icelandic, and her melodies sound lovely and in some ways more natural in her mother tongue.
—
Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2025
But most also want their children to first gain a strong grounding in their mother tongue.
—Chris Buckley, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Childhood friends in Belfast meet and start making sick beats with their music teacher, and the trio's use of the country's mother tongue fuels a youth movement against the establishment.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
The results were weighted according to age, gender, mother tongue, region, education and presence of children in the household.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 Jan. 2025
But most also want their children to first gain a strong grounding in their mother tongue.
—Chris Buckley, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2025
Childhood friends in Belfast meet and start making sick beats with their music teacher, and the trio's use of the country's mother tongue fuels a youth movement against the establishment.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
The results were weighted according to age, gender, mother tongue, region, education and presence of children in the household.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
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Owned by the American toy company Hasbro, Monopoly is licensed to 113 countries and printed in 46 languages around the globe.—
Ann Rutledge,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
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The biggest network targeted by Trump’s dismantling is Voice of America, a global news outlet with stations and websites in local languages around the world.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
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In his art practice, Johnson is known for his sharp meditations on race and class rooted in a more organic vocabulary steeped in sculptural and painterly traditions.—
Francesca Aton,
ARTnews.com,
10 Mar. 2025
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That’s the only way to have our own narratives and our own vocabulary.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Bumps on the tongue are growths that appear on the top, tip, sides, underside, or base of the tongue.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
16 Mar. 2025
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Her gaze settled on the boot once more, noticing a sliver of paper jutting from inside the tongue.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Similarly, when Mari speaks on the phone to her clients, her Miami dialect drops completely.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
3 Mar. 2025
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Declan has been reading up on local lore, revealing that there are 13 different dialects in the area, which also boasts a church made entirely of bundled hay.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
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There is a French idiom that says when something is so easy, it can be done with ‘les doigts dans le nez’ — the fingers in the nose.—
Liam Tharme,
The Athletic,
23 Jan. 2025
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While often used sarcastically to mock true believers, the idiom reflects Italy’s enduring ambiguity toward Fascism, even 80 years after its fall.—
Mattia Ferraresi,
airmail.news,
1 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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