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.
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Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2020
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
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Cite this Entry
“Birth pang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth%20pang. Accessed 2 Oct. 2023.
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Medical Definition
birth pang
noun
: one of the regularly recurrent pains that are characteristic of childbirth
—usually used in plural
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