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

Nonetheless, through a genealogist, Snooki learned who her birth mother was and eventually was able to have her first-ever conversation with her, seeing the woman’s face for the first time. —Sara Vallone, Miami Herald, 6 June 2025

Nineteen days later, Michelle, a 42-year-old stay-at-home mom and volunteer project team leader in charge of training for the American Cancer Society, and Michael, a 45-year-old nursing home administrator, received calls at 4:30 p.m. and learned that the birth mother had chosen them for adoption. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 19 June 2025

So casting Amanda in this as the birth mother was so natural and organic. —Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025

In many cases, the birth mothers are extremely economically and socially vulnerable. —Allan De Abreu, The Dial, 3 June 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