mother lode

noun

Definition of mother lodenext
as in gold mine
an abundant source the university has long been a mother lode of athletic talent, with many alumni joining the rarefied ranks of the professionals

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 lode Game shows have always been about making a deal, but this was the mother lode! — Lindsay Soll, EW.com, 25 July 2025 And in another kind of desert, the Tatacoa in Colombia, two bare-bones museums hold a mother lode of 10 million-year-old fossils for study. — Troy Aidan Sambajon, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Mar. 2025 Considering how much Italy is growing in terms of national branding, accessing the mother lode of tourism could be a great opportunity for foreign investors interested in Italy. — Andrea Pietrini, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025 There are nearly 1,600 types of beans alone in this mother lode called The Exchange, each with its own story of human connection. — Margaret Roach, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mother lode
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mother lode
  1. gold mine
  2. treasure trove
  3. repository
Noun
  • The ruling marks another turn in a yearslong legal battle over the project, which Belo Sun has promoted as one of Brazil’s largest potential gold mines.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • China has acquired major gold mines across Latin America, Africa and Asia, according to S&P Global Ratings.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of gold mine
Noun
  • All of these came from the family’s own archives, a treasure trove that shows the focus on craftsmanship that is almost genetic to the Prada clan.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Dozens of eclectic objects, like stone buddhas and African masks, that Comini procured from his travels, complete the treasure trove look.
    — Jaclyn DeGiorgio, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of treasure trove
Noun
  • This infrastructure combines an above-ground encapsulation plant with a subterranean repository, known as Onkalo.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Her great-grandnephew, who also chairs her foundation, has sought to realize that temple, which would act as a repository for her art and keep it out of museums, but no such plan to open the structure has materialized yet.
    — Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of repository

Browse Nearby Words

motherliness
mother lode
mother lodes
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Cite this Entry

“Mother lode.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mother%20lode. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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