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

Noun

• nativity
• parenting

Verb

• produce
• have
• deliver
• mother

Adjective

• biological
• biologic

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

While the fertility rate last year bucked the trend, ticking upward to 1.2 births per woman from 1.0 in 2023, this was still well below the replacement rate of 2.1. —Micah McCartney, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025

Saddleback Medical Center maintains a 23.2% cesarean birth for first-time, low-risk mothers – lower than national and state targets, and many local hospitals. —Advertorial, Oc Register, 7 July 2025

Verb

Richard Dreyfuss returned to Martha's Vineyard, which hosted the film production in 1974, and talked with Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz about the notoriously difficult shoot that nonetheless birthed a blockbuster. —David Morgan july 3, CBS News, 3 July 2025

As if war has ever birthed a peaceful transition into democracy. —Ava Homa, Mercury News, 2 July 2025

Adjective

If self-paid, a birth doula can cost $1,200 to $4,000, depending on whether pre- and post-birth visits are included. —Cindy Krischer Goodman, Sun Sentinel, 3 May 2024

The pregnancy announcement, the gender reveal, the baby shower, the pregnancy photo shoot, the birth photo shoot, the post-birth photo shoot, the sip-n-see. —Shani Silver, refinery29.com, 31 May 2024

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 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