birth defect

noun

Definition of birth defect

: a physical or biochemical defect that is present at birth and may be inherited or environmentally induced

Examples of birth defect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Because of a birth defect, Tabby was born with a concave chest cavity. — baltimoresun.com, "Best of Harford County 2020," 28 Feb. 2021 Gracie, a sheep whose neck is twisted from torticollis, a birth defect, kicked a ball. — Karina Bland, The Arizona Republic, "Among these misfit animals, there's peace and healing (and some cow hugging)," 19 Feb. 2021 While a birth defect typically remains local to an individual, racist ideology has grown in scope over the past few years and has percolated from the fringes of the dark web into the halls of the United States Capitol. — C. Brandon Ogbunu, Wired, "White Nationalism Is Far Worse Than a 'Disease'," 26 Jan. 2021 The cub was born with a birth defect in one of her eyes. — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Adorable snow leopard cub Milja meets Milwaukee County Zoo public for first time," 2 Oct. 2020 On her Instagram Story Friday, Perri, who was in her third trimester, said that her baby on the way would have needed to undergo surgery immediately after birth as the child had a birth defect known as jejunal atresia. — Chelsea White, PEOPLE.com, "Christina Perri's Daughter 'Born Silent' in the Third Trimester: 'We Lost Our Baby Girl'," 24 Nov. 2020 The announcement came days after Perri, 34, shared on her Instagram story that her unborn daughter had a birth defect known as jejunal atresia, a rare congenital malformation that causes bowel obstruction. — NBC News, "'Born silent': Singer Christina Perri reveals death of baby after pregnancy complications," 25 Nov. 2020 According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, congenital heart defects are the most common type of birth defect. — Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'He came here for a reason': After her infant son died, a nursing professor started raising funds to fight what killed him," 11 Aug. 2020 Andre was born with microtia, a birth defect where the outer ear does not fully develop during pregnancy. — Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, "Man with Large Growth on His Ear Worries He’ll Have to ‘Live with It for the Rest of My Life’," 3 Aug. 2020

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

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Last Updated

7 Mar 2021

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“Birth defect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth%20defect. Accessed 8 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for birth defect

birth defect

noun

Kids Definition of birth defect

: a physical defect that a person is born with and that may be inherited or caused by something in the environment

birth defect

noun

Medical Definition of birth defect

: a physical or biochemical defect (as cleft palate, phenylketonuria, or Down syndrome) that is present at birth and may be inherited or environmentally induced

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