midwife

1 of 2

noun

mid·​wife ˈmid-ˌwīf How to pronounce midwife (audio)
1
: a person who assists women in childbirth compare nurse-midwife
2
: one that helps to produce or bring forth something

midwife

2 of 2

verb

midwifed ˈmid-ˌwīft How to pronounce midwife (audio) or midwived ˈmid-ˌwīvd How to pronounce midwife (audio) ; midwifing ˈmid-ˌwī-fiŋ How to pronounce midwife (audio) or midwiving ˈmid-ˌwī-viŋ How to pronounce midwife (audio)

transitive verb

: to assist in producing, bringing forth, or bringing about

Examples of midwife in a Sentence

Noun a trained and certified midwife
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
That's one of the many concerns of Milwaukee resident Rachel Crites, 54, a licensed midwife and the mother of an autistic individual. Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 23 Sep. 2025 When seven expectant mothers in Palm Beach County had their babies delivered by midwives at Florida Woman Care, one of the largest female health care operations in the state, the cost should have been at least 20% less than what physicians charge. Gretchen Morgenson, NBC news, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
But the American leaders who midwifed the UN as World War II was still raging were somber realists, not utopians. Andreas Kluth, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025 At the summit, Putin also sought to revive the Russia-India-China trilateral forum, that, in an earlier era, helped midwife BRICS and the SCO and gave China, India, and Russia an arena to coordinate on multilateralism and trade. Shyam Saran, Time, 10 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for midwife

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English midwif, from mid with (from Old English) + wif woman

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1638, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of midwife was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Midwife.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/midwife. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

midwife

noun
mid·​wife
ˈmid-ˌwīf
: a woman who helps other women in childbirth

Medical Definition

midwife

noun
mid·​wife ˈmid-ˌwīf How to pronounce midwife (audio)
: a person who assists women in childbirth see nurse-midwife

More from Merriam-Webster on midwife

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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