mother country
Americannoun
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the country of one's birth or ancestry.
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the country of origin of settlers or colonists in a place.
noun
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the original country of colonists or settlers
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another term for fatherland
Etymology
Origin of mother country
First recorded in 1580–90
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even so, Maduro’s ouster gave her a lot of hope for her mother country.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2026
For 300 years, New Spain remained the glittering jewel in the Spanish crown, enriching the mother country and shaping world history.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 14, 2025
Furthermore, the Massachusetts colony stood alone among the English colonies as well as from the mother country, whose king threatened to withdraw his royal charter should the Puritans persist in their course.
From Salon • Dec. 24, 2024
She said other patients have revisited their mother country to get dental care, with some of them having "severe dental problems".
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2024
The Youth League was marginally more friendly to the Indians and the Coloureds, stating that Indians, like Africans, were oppressed, but that Indians had India, a mother country that they could look to.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
