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

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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
  • More than 900,000 people have been displaced, while the region’s gold mines draw workers from a wide area.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The Paramount Pictures movie was an international smash, leading to a multi-film gold mine that is among the highest-grossing franchises in Hollywood history.
    — Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of gold mine
Noun
  • All of Roman’s data will be made publicly available as soon as it is processed on Earth, providing a treasure trove for scientists to mine for answers to a multitude of cosmic queries.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In total, the treasure trove, along with other musical items that are part of Music Memorabilia Live Auction, is expected to fetch a cool $4 million.
    — Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of treasure trove
Noun
  • The goal isn’t to turn every person who reviews marketing materials into a complete repository of everything that could potentially offend someone.
    — Sonia Thompson, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Semafor’s methodology and reproducible analysis code can be found in a public GitHub repository here.
    — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 27 Aug. 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 2 Sep. 2026.

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