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

Hailey, an energetic girl from Nevada, was born with a rare birth defect called Poland syndrome and is missing fingers on her right hand. — Rebecca Bratek, CBS News, "8-year-old with 3D-printed hand throws out her 12th first pitch at MLB stadium," 12 June 2018 In 2016, Pope Francis said that contraception could be permissible in areas struck with the Zika virus, because of evidence linking it to a birth defect. — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, "After 50 Years, a Pope’s Birth-Control Message Still Divides Catholics," 10 May 2018 The pilot program is for women whose babies are suspected of having or have been diagnosed with a birth defect. — Molly Sullivan, sacbee, "Pregnant moms can get a free 'Lyft' | The Sacramento Bee," 1 May 2018 During his four-year military stint, the Beckendorfs had their first of three children - Keri, who was born with a birth defect. — Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com, "Biting the bullet of faith: Deacon Eddy's story," 1 Apr. 2018 At the age of 15, Carrie was diagnosed with a birth defect known as a coronory artery anomaly and was faced with a dilemma: undergo open heart surgery or avoid physical activity for life. — Mary Kay Cabot, cleveland.com, "Browns are signing cornerback T.J. Carrie from the Raiders for 4 years, $31 million," 14 Sep. 2017 The Zika virus can be transferred from pregnant women to their babies and cause severe birth defects. — Scott Dance, Washington Post, "Mosquitoes are at three times their normal number in Maryland this summer," 5 July 2018 The Zika virus can be transferred from pregnant women to their babies and cause severe birth defects. — Scott Dance, baltimoresun.com, "Dealing with more bug bites than usual? Mosquitos are at 3 times their normal number in Maryland this summer.," 5 July 2018 Initial exams indicate the cub suffered from severe birth defects, including a cleft palate, according to the zoo. — David Caraccio, sacbee, "Meet the new snow leopard just born at Sacramento Zoo | The Sacramento Bee," 15 May 2018

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

20 Nov 2018

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The first known use of birth defect was in 1864

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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