birth

noun, often attributive

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\ ˈbərth

Definition of birth

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent

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

3a : lineage, extraction

b : high or noble birth

4a archaic : one that is born

b : beginning, start

birth

verb

birthed; birthing; births

Definition of birth (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 chiefly dialectal : to bring forth

2a : 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

adjective

Definition of birth (Entry 3 of 3)

: biological sense 3 his birth mother

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About birth

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Synonyms & Antonyms for birth

Synonyms: Noun

geniture,
nativity

Synonyms: Verb

Synonyms: Adjective

Antonyms: Adjective

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 Or when Kourtney gave birth on screen or Scott hilariously pranked Kris as Todd Kraines? — Ew Staff, EW.com, 10 June 2021 This gave birth to his lyrical life project — writing songs with his patients about their lives, celebrating their journey and their joys and, hopefully, milestones reached in their cancer treatment. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2021 His half-English, half-Swiss wife, Winifred, gave birth to their son Osman in England, but died soon after. — Tom Mctague, The Atlantic, 7 June 2021 Meghan gave birth at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in California, where the couple has lived since leaving their roles as senior members of the royal family. — Lauren Le Vine, refinery29.com, 7 June 2021 Rahm lives in Scottsdale, Ariz., where his wife in April gave birth to their first child. — Doug Ferguson, chicagotribune.com, 6 June 2021 Duchess Meghan gave birth to a baby girl on Friday, June 4, marking her second child with husband Prince Harry. — Bianca Betancourt, Harper's BAZAAR, 6 June 2021 The second baby for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is officially here: Meghan gave birth to a healthy girl on Friday. — BostonGlobe.com, 6 June 2021 The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to a little girl on Friday, Meghan and Harry have announced. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, 6 June 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Often, giving the freedom to innovate to people who are most familiar with your company DNA and capabilities can birth new products or services that can provide a path to diversification. — Tomer Bar Zeev, Quartz, 1 June 2021 Despite the pending economic uncertainly, the pandemic will birth a new generation of visionaries, artists and creative entrepreneurs. — Kian Bakhtiari, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2021 No stranger to the industry, the Glossier and L’Oréal alum employed her many years in product development and innovation to birth Ami Colé Beauty, a clean-beauty makeup brand with melanin at the forefront. — Blake Newby, Essence, 17 May 2021 As one of the most prestigious elements of the region, Argiano also helped birth the Brunello Consortium. — Shelby Knick, Forbes, 21 Apr. 2021 Hornet queens tend to emerge from winter quarters in the spring and establish nests to birth worker hornets. — CBS News, 18 Mar. 2021 Hornet queens tend to emerge from winter quarters in the spring and establish nests to birth worker hornets. — Fox News, 18 Mar. 2021 Under Strout’s guidance Douglas helped birth ideas that began as scribbles on paper and ultimately blossomed into documentaries shown at the Tribeca Film Festival and The Human Rights Watch Festival. — Jeryl Brunner, Forbes, 10 Apr. 2021 Since bats only birth a single pup a year, rebuilding their population is an uphill battle. — Regina Cole, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective But a few states, including Wisconsin and New York, have provisions that can result in fathers being financially responsible for pre-birth expenses. — NBC News, 6 Apr. 2021 But a few states, including Wisconsin and New York, have provisions that can result in fathers being financially responsible for pre-birth expenses. — NBC News, 6 Apr. 2021 But a few states, including Wisconsin and New York, have provisions that can result in fathers being financially responsible for pre-birth expenses. — NBC News, 6 Apr. 2021 Utah appears to be the only state to mandate pre-birth support, according to Brammer and the state's Planned Parenthood association, the Associated Press reports. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2021 The prospect of studying orangutans in Borneo was tantalizing to Knott, especially since orangutans have the longest inter-birth interval—the time between pregnancies—of any mammal. — Wudan Yan, The Atlantic, 7 Apr. 2021 But a few states, including Wisconsin and New York, have provisions that can result in fathers being financially responsible for pre-birth expenses. — NBC News, 6 Apr. 2021 But a few states, including Wisconsin and New York, have provisions that can result in fathers being financially responsible for pre-birth expenses. — Sophia Eppolito, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2021 However, some states, like Wisconsin and New York, do have provisions that can result in fathers paying for pre-birth expenses. — Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, 5 Apr. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'birth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries Near birth

birse

birsle

birsy

birth

birth/biological parent

birth canal

birth certificate

Statistics for birth

Last Updated

14 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Birth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth. Accessed 24 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for birth

birth

noun

English Language Learners Definition of birth

: the time when a baby comes out from the body of its mother

: the beginning or origin of something

—used to describe the kind of family a person comes from

See the full definition for birth in the English Language Learners Dictionary

birth

noun

\ ˈbərth

Kids Definition of birth

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

2 : the act of bringing into life

3 : lineage sense 1 a person of noble birth

4 : origin sense 3 the birth of a star

birth

noun

\ ˈbərth

Medical Definition of birth

(Entry 1 of 3)

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

transitive verb

Medical Definition of birth (Entry 2 of 3)

: 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

adjective

Medical Definition of birth (Entry 3 of 3)

: biological sense 3 spent years searching for his birth parents