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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 tongue
Likewise, most of the world’s approximately 400 million native English speakers had other mother tongues in their families until relatively recently.
—
Ross Perlin, The Dial, 14 Nov. 2024
Reading in Spanish seemed to preclude — in some instances more clearly than others — what was still unthinkable: reading in Mixe, our mother tongue.
—Yásnaya Elena A. Gil (tr. Ellen Jones), The Dial, 26 Nov. 2024
In our Romansh language, which is my mother tongue, Igniv means bird's nest, which is perfect for sharing.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
How could someone who’d left China in fifth grade have kept up her mother tongue so well?
—Shuang Xuetao, The New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mother tongue 
Ross Perlin, The Dial, 14 Nov. 2024
Reading in Spanish seemed to preclude — in some instances more clearly than others — what was still unthinkable: reading in Mixe, our mother tongue.
—Yásnaya Elena A. Gil (tr. Ellen Jones), The Dial, 26 Nov. 2024
In our Romansh language, which is my mother tongue, Igniv means bird's nest, which is perfect for sharing.
—Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
How could someone who’d left China in fifth grade have kept up her mother tongue so well?
—Shuang Xuetao, The New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for mother tongue
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother tongue
Noun
-
The post also used language resembling false claims that circulated about Musk in September 2024 and early January.—
Katie Smith,
USA TODAY,
27 Jan. 2025
-
According to Quartz, those incidents included the airline removing a passenger for wearing a crop top and another wearing clothing with explicit language.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Their project for this week was to make Zoom presentations on music vocabulary.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
As sidekicks, Dreux and Alyssa share a value system, vocabulary and hearty appreciation for fun.—
Natalia Winkelman,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Which certainly rolls off the tongue better than, say, Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Bad Bunny addresses whether his new album was partially inspired by Kendall Jenner relationship Bad Bunny even had to put just his tongue on the ice cream and hold it there to cool it.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
EW.com,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Suffice to say that considering the setting and the dialect, Eggers is promising another deep dive into a muddy, costumed and violent time period consistent with his oeuvre, which has earned him a loyal film following.—
Borys Kit,
The Hollywood Reporter,
22 Jan. 2025
-
In the interview, Jancsó said AI was used to tweak certain parts of the Hungarian dialect in the movie used by stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones—as well as in the creation of architectural drawings that appeared near the conclusion of the film.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
The Maze Runner actor sloughs off Roman’s moody persona, replacing that twin’s abrasive bluntness and struggle with idioms with the other’s quick wit and seductive charm.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The Hollywood Reporter,
24 Jan. 2025
-
For instance, the grammar and translation method has been modernized to help students grasp complex concepts like abstract words, idioms and metaphors.—
Geoffrey Alphonso,
Forbes,
3 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near mother tongue
Cite this Entry
“Mother tongue.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20tongue. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share