mother lode
Americannoun
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Mining. a rich or important lode.
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a major or profitable source or supply.
New York City is a mother lode of actors.
noun
Etymology
Origin of mother lode
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
The City and Borough of Juneau Assembly—the local version of a city council—saw a mother lode of opportunity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Negro League stats accumulated and published by MLB today differ slightly from those on Baseball-Reference.com, the widely recognized mother lode of statistical information.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2024
But it could be a mother lode for small and large local news outlets, providing $500 million a year to preserve and grow local newsrooms.
From Seattle Times ● May 15, 2024
They hit a genetic mother lode, ending up with DNA from 11 individuals: six adults and five children.
From New York Times ● Oct. 19, 2022
Out in those fields, he used to talk about finding the mother lode, though: a mason jar of old money.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
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.
