birth

1 of 3

noun

ˈbərth 

plural births

1

a

: the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent see also date of birth

b

: the act or process of bringing forth young from the womb

2

: a state resulting from being born especially at a particular time or place

a Southerner by birth

3

a

: lineage, extraction

b

: high or noble birth

4

a

archaic : one that is born

b

: beginning, start

birth

2 of 3

verb

birthed; birthing; births

transitive verb

1

chiefly dialectal : to bring forth

2

a

: to give rise to : originate

b

: to give birth to

intransitive verb

: to bring forth or be brought forth as a child or young

birth

3 of 3

adjective

: biological sense 3

his birth mother

Synonyms of birth

Noun

• nativity
• parenting

Verb

• produce
• have
• deliver
• mother

Adjective

• biological

Examples of birth in a Sentence

Noun

He was present at the birth of his daughter.

The hospital reported an increase in premature births.

Please indicate your date of birth.

the period from birth to adolescence

a disease that is present at birth

the birth of the solar system

the birth of the blues

We are witnessing the birth of a new era.

Verb

back in those days a woman her age would have birthed several children

Adjective

argued that the birth mother had not been informed of all of her options at the time of the adoption

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Each year from January through March, humpback whales migrate to Samaná Bay to mate and give birth, and local boats bring visitors out to see them up close. —Annie Daly, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026

Beneficiaries who were born between the 1st and 10th day of their birth month are set to receive their monthly Social Security benefit on Wednesday, March 11, according to the SSA’s payment calendar. —Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 9 Mar. 2026

Verb

In reality, the new pact was a much lighter arrangement compared with the splashy (and very expensive) one that birthed Harry & Meghan, Polo and With Love, Meghan, among other projects. —Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 6 Mar. 2026

Earth’s precession Millennia ago, people charted the path of the Sun through the constellations of the zodiac, which birthed the practice of astrology. —Vahe Peroomian, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026

Adjective

Klobuchar successfully lobbied for Minnesota to expand the minimum post-birth hospital stay to 48 hours, and it has since been relayed into a federal law. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 30 Jan. 2026

The idea is that vaginal estrogen could help ease common post-birth concerns like swelling and soreness. —Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse byrth; akin to Old English beran

First Known Use

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1831, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1958, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing birth

• accident of birth
• birth canal
• birth certificate
• birth chart
• birth control
• birth-control pill
• birth date
• birth defect
• birth father
• birth mother
• birth pang
• birth parent
• birth rate
• date of birth
• give birth
• give birth to
• live birth
• multiple birth
• partial-birth abortion
• virgin birth
• wrongful birth

Rhymes for birth

• berth
• dearth
• earth
• firth
• girth
• mirth
• worth
• afterbirth
• childbirth
• rebirth
• stillbirth
• tamworth

Kids Definition

birth

noun

ˈbərth

1

a

: the coming out of a new individual from the body of its parent

b

: the act or process of bringing forth young from the uterus

2

: descent sense 1, lineage

noble birth

3

: beginning sense 1, origin

Medical Definition

birth

1 of 3 noun

ˈbərth 

1

: the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent

2

: the act or process of bringing forth young from the womb

birth

2 of 3 transitive verb

: to give birth to

allowed to birth her child in her own way

—Nancy Robinson

intransitive verb

: to bring forth or be brought forth as a child or young

contend that birthing is a natural process, rather than a medical procedure

—Kit Miniclier

the baby birthed breech

—Jayne Anne Phillips

birth

3 of 3 adjective

: biological sense 3

spent years searching for his birth parents