birth pang

noun

1
: one of the regularly recurrent pains that are characteristic of childbirth
usually used in plural
2
birth pangs plural : disorder and distress incident especially to a major social change

Examples of birth pang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web His knack for conveying compositional struggle ingeniously reflects his theme — a nation’s birth pangs. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'birth pang.' 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

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of birth pang was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near birth pang

Cite this Entry

“Birth pang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth%20pang. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.

Medical Definition

birth pang

noun
: one of the regularly recurrent pains that are characteristic of childbirth
usually used in plural

More from Merriam-Webster on birth pang

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