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
Emily Nussbaum 
Examples of birth mother in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to Franklin, his birth mother, then a young teen, was unable to care for him.
—Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023
My father was adopted and has never known the identity of his birth mother.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
The first Leanna’s mother was never listed by name, but court documents showed Leanna Donnegan Knox was free because of her birth mother’s race, her namesake said.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
Kids would talk casually about staying with their birth mother for the weekend, or their birth mother coming to watch their baseball games.
—Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023
The company also introduced recovery leave for birth mothers of six to eight weeks in addition to maternity leave, according to Bloomberg.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2023
She was abandoned in a hospital by her birth mother and was adopted by Joan and John Resch, the documentary explains.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 4 Aug. 2023
Fearing that her future newborn will be taken from her and become trapped in the system, Gia considers the offer of a sympathetic social worker named Carmen (Erika Alexander) for an open adoption, in which Gia, as birth mother, would be a part of her child’s life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 July 2023
Mahadevan’s next feature is an as-yet-untitled project based on a true incident where the protagonist, who is adopted, visits his birth mother to find out why he was abandoned at birth.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Aug. 2023
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Janine Rubenstein, Peoplemag, 15 Sep. 2023
My father was adopted and has never known the identity of his birth mother.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
The first Leanna’s mother was never listed by name, but court documents showed Leanna Donnegan Knox was free because of her birth mother’s race, her namesake said.
—Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2023
Kids would talk casually about staying with their birth mother for the weekend, or their birth mother coming to watch their baseball games.
—Larissa MacFarquhar, The New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2023
The company also introduced recovery leave for birth mothers of six to eight weeks in addition to maternity leave, according to Bloomberg.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2023
She was abandoned in a hospital by her birth mother and was adopted by Joan and John Resch, the documentary explains.
—Korin Miller, Women's Health, 4 Aug. 2023
Fearing that her future newborn will be taken from her and become trapped in the system, Gia considers the offer of a sympathetic social worker named Carmen (Erika Alexander) for an open adoption, in which Gia, as birth mother, would be a part of her child’s life.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 July 2023
Mahadevan’s next feature is an as-yet-untitled project based on a true incident where the protagonist, who is adopted, visits his birth mother to find out why he was abandoned at birth.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'birth mother.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1906, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near birth mother
Cite this Entry
“Birth mother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth%20mother. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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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
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