birth defect

noun

: 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

His owner, Hannah Gleason from Oklahoma, told Newsweek that the merle gene isn’t a coloring gene rather than a gene that bleaches the fur and causes lack of pigmentation which can lead to birth defects, blindness, deafness, or sometimes all three. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025

Babies born with congenital rubella syndrome can have serious birth defects including heart, liver and spleen damage, loss of hearing and eyesight and lifelong intellectual disability. —Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, women in cobalt-mining regions have reported reproductive-health concerns such as miscarriages and birth defects; cobalt mining has also polluted croplands. —Scott W. Stern, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025

Commonly used for water-, oil- and stain-resistance in textiles, some of the chemicals belonging to this class have been associated with negative health effects such as birth defects and cancer. —Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 26 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

birth defect

noun

: a serious defect (as in physical or mental function) that is present at birth and is inherited or caused by something that happens or exists in the environment

Medical Definition

birth defect

noun

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