birthright

birth·right | \ ˈbərth-ˌrīt

How to pronounce birthright (audio)

\

Definition of birthright

: a right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about birthright

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of birthright in a Sentence

the freedom that is our birthright believed that the house was her birthright

Recent Examples on the Web The dividing line traced by roadblocks also is tugging on sensitivities about birthrights and inequities, as Native American visitors worry about the social stigma of being locked out because of the contagion. — Morgan Lee, Anchorage Daily News, "New Mexico town near vast Navajo reservation shuts everyone out during pandemic," 8 May 2020 But, if politics was her birthright, her true love was literature. — Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, "Vivian Gornick Is Rereading Everyone, Including Herself," 3 Feb. 2020 For a long time — more than two decades during Eddie DeBartolo’s ownership — the quest for championships felt both like a birthright and a burden. — Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "Enormous expectations crushed past 49ers. This Super Bowl team is different," 2 Feb. 2020 The Edmund Pettus Bridge has become shorthand for a flashpoint in American history — when African-Americans seized the birthright promised them by the Fifteenth Amendment, not by force, but by persistence and unblinking courage. — al, "There’s a better way to honor John Lewis than renaming the Edmund Pettus Bridge," 24 Jan. 2020 The Patriots’ annual playoff berth birthright is a reminder that the defining games of their season remain ahead of them. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "Is this Patriots victory a quick fix or a bad sign?," 15 Dec. 2019 But in the hardscrabble business of feeding people, birthright often morphs into burden along the way. — Mark Kurlyandchik, Freep.com, "Leila is the 2020 Detroit Free Press Restaurant of the Year," 14 Feb. 2020 The granddaughter of legendary fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli, whose playful Surrealist creations still feel like fresh innovation, Berenson had high fashion in her birthright. — Leena Kim, Town & Country, "T&C Family Album: Ronny JaquesMarisa Berenson," 18 July 2013 American Samoa is the only U.S. territory where residents have no birthright claim to citizenship. — Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, Anchorage Daily News, "Not everyone born in American Samoa wants US citizenship," 10 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'birthright.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about birthright

Dictionary Entries near birthright

Statistics for birthright

Last Updated

15 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Birthright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birthright. Accessed 14 Jul. 2020.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

tutelage

See Definitions and Examples »

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.