birth

noun, often attributive \ ˈbərth \

Updated on: 15 Apr 2018

1 a : 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

3 a : lineage, extraction

b : high or noble birth

4 a archaic : one that is born

b : beginning, start

See birth defined for English-language learners

See birth defined for kids

Examples of birth in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of birth from the Web

Rose did appear to talk about the Kardashians Tuesday night after reports circulated that Tristan Thompson cheated on Khloe Kardashian, who is expected to give birth to the couple’s first child this month.

— Fox News, "Andy Cohen spills on 'worst' 'Watch What Happens Live' guests Amber Rose," 11 Apr. 2018
Alafia was born at Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle and there gave birth to a female gorilla, Naku, but has spent the past nine years at the Los Angeles Zoo.

— robert rhoden, NOLA.com, "'A sea of dead horses' at Texas ranch: report," 11 Apr. 2018
Last year, Kelly Stafford gave birth to twin daughters, Chandler and Sawyer.

— dave birkett, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford, wife Kelly, expecting another baby," 10 Apr. 2018
Tammy Duckworth made history yesterday, becoming the first Senator to give birth while in office.

— valentina zarya, Fortune, "Equal Pay Day, Tammy Duckworth, Loretta Lynch: Broadsheet April 10," 10 Apr. 2018
The Late Night with Seth Meyers host, 44, revealed during Monday’s show that his wife gave birth to their second son, named Axel Strahl, a day earlier in the lobby of their apartment building.

— Time, "Seth Meyers Reveals His Wife Gave Birth in the Lobby of Their Apartment Building," 10 Apr. 2018
Of course, with her OB/GYN having flown into Cleveland, Kardashian very well may be giving birth at home instead of a hospital.

— emily wang, Allure, "Khloé Kardashian Writes Blog Post About Pregnancy Amid Rumors That She’s in Labor," 10 Apr. 2018
The spot is known for its extreme privacy — even Amal Clooney gave birth there!

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "All the Things We Know About the Next Royal Baby," 9 Apr. 2018
Rats can give birth to 6-12 babies per litter and are able to get pregnant three to five times a year on average.

— vanesa brashier, Houston Chronicle, "Teams, volunteers needed for Clean Up Cleveland on May 19," 9 Apr. 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of birth

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

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First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

birth Synonyms

Other Embryology Terms

gravid, neonate, ontogeny, parturition

birth

verb

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

Examples of birth in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of birth from the Web

Many pregnant women, according to Border Patrol agents, cross illegally into the U.S. late into their terms with the intention of birthing their babies in the United States.

— San Antonio Express-News, "Trump administration to detain more pregnant immigrants, ending previous policy," 29 Mar. 2018
And, birthed in a secret record label cubicle, Diddy's multi-million dollar apparel brand: Sean John.

— cam wolf, GQ, ""He Was the Ultimate Creative Director": The Oral History of Sean John, Diddy's Game-Changing Clothing Label," 20 Mar. 2018
Things that have happened since season 1 of Westworld: Donald Trump became president, Timothée Chalamet became famous, and Kylie Jenner conceived, carried, and birthed a child.

— kathryn lindsay, refinery29.com, "New Westworld Season 2 Photos Bring Up So Many Questions," 16 Mar. 2018
Although quolls only live two to three years, females can birth up to six quoll pups in a year.

— National Geographic, "Cat-Size Marsupials Reintroduced to Australia's Mainland for First Time," 15 Mar. 2018
There are absolutely some people who were born with a natural gift for writing and storytelling; just brilliant, exceptional people birthed with brilliant, exceptional talent in their bones.

— richard deitsch, SI.com, "Media Circus: 22 Well-Known Sports Media Members Give Advice to Their Younger Selves," 12 Mar. 2018
Thank you for carrying me, birthing me, raising me, supporting me, teaching me, and loving me unconditionally!

— karen mizoguchi, PEOPLE.com, "Rihanna Dedicates 30th Birthday to Her Mom and Shares an Adorable Baby Snap of Herself," 20 Feb. 2018
Kegel and two of his three siblings were home-birthed in Hales Corners and grew up in the village.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wheel & Sprocket reflects on leaving the 'nest' in Hales Corners," 25 Jan. 2018
After birthing the football Dre Kirkpatrick emerged holding the ball in the air like Simba from the Lion King.

— jim owczarski, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Bengals' end of season awards," 13 Jan. 2018

First Known Use of birth

1831

birth

adjective

: biological 3

his birth mother

Examples of birth in a Sentence

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

First Known Use of birth

1958

birth Synonyms

Synonyms

biological (also biologic), consanguineous, natural;

Antonyms

adopted, adoptive, nonbiological;

Near Antonyms

illegitimate;

Related Words

legitimate;

Other Medicine Terms

analgesia, angina, diabetes, hepatitis, homeopathy, logorrhea, palliate, pandemic

BIRTH Defined for English Language Learners

birth

noun

: 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

BIRTH Defined for Kids

birth

noun \ ˈbərth \

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

2 : the act of bringing into life

3 : lineage 1

a person of noble birth

4 : origin 3

the birth of a star

Medical Dictionary

birth

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

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

adjective

: biological 3

spent years searching for his birth parents

Learn More about birth

See words that rhyme with birth Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for birth Spanish Central: Translation of birth Nglish: Translation of birth for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of birth for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about birth

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birth

Examples of birth in a Sentence

Recent Examples of birth from the Web

Origin and Etymology of birth

birth Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Embryology Terms

birth

Examples of birth in a Sentence

Recent Examples of birth from the Web

First Known Use of birth

birth

Examples of birth in a Sentence

First Known Use of birth

birth Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Other Medicine Terms

Phrases Related to BIRTH

Related Phrases

BIRTH Defined for English Language Learners

birth

BIRTH Defined for Kids

birth

Medical Dictionary

birth

birth

birth

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