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

Much of the novel, which spans seven decades, follows Jimmy, who moves to Vienna as a young man to study and search for his birth mother. —Literary Hub, 24 Nov. 2025

The two may have their differences due to Mateo’s status as a professional teenager, but a deep, profound love fuels their critical mission of a road trip from Ohio to San Diego in order to find Mateo’s birth mother. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 10 Nov. 2025

The actress' daughter also filed to legally change her last name to Neuens — her birth mother's maiden name — after being removed from Rosie's will in January. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2025

She was found a week later and subsequently moved to Wisconsin to live with her birth mother, Deanna Micoley. —Anna Myers, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 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