birth mother

noun

: the mother of a child when the child is born

specifically : a woman who gave birth to a child who has been adopted

They had turned to an open adoption after pursuing infertility treatments for 18 years, and the birth mother had agreed to relinquish custody at the hospital.

—Emily Nussbaum

Examples of birth mother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Court documents show that Caroline’s birth mother’s custody rights were terminated, and attempts by NBC News to reach her this week were unsuccessful. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 26 Feb. 2025

The suspect's birth mother, Anne-Mari Eriksen, was in custody disputes with his father, Christopher Ikner, that began in 2007 and lasted through 2023, records show. —Rhona Tarrant, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2025

The song’s initial purpose was to be a source of healing for the singer, who had begun a search for her birth mother. —Taylor Crumpton, Essence, 14 Apr. 2025

The story revolves around a Haitian girl who moves to New York to be with her birth mother, only to encounter a world of secrecy. —Christopher Murray, Fox News, 22 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for birth mother

• another
• godmother
• grandmother
• stepbrother
• stepmother
• brother
• nother
• other
• smother
• souther

Legal Definition

birth mother

noun

birth moth·​er

: the woman who gave birth to a child especially as distinguished from the child's adoptive mother