childbirth

noun

ˈchī(-ə)l(d)-ˌbərth How to pronounce childbirth (audio)
Definition of childbirthnext
as in pregnancy
the act or process of giving birth to children women who choose to undergo childbirth without the use of anesthetics and other drugs

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of childbirth Antosh recommends checking with a doctor before using a high-pressure bidet right after childbirth or with genital ulcers, since powerful streams can irritate healing tissue. — Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Children were taken by tricking mothers, who were told their baby had died during childbirth. — Ashoka, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 The rare mental illness is linked to stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes following childbirth. — Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Jane opens up to Tom about her traumatic childbirth experience with Ziggy. — Matt Minton, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for childbirth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childbirth
  1. pregnancy
  2. childbearing
  3. delivery
  4. labor
  5. pains
  6. parturition
  7. contraction
Noun
  • Unlike Price, though, Baker wasn’t blessed with a straightforward pregnancy.
    — Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Talm was founded in 2021 as a skin care brand for women during pregnancy and postpartum.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of pregnancy
Noun
  • But Steinem lived to see the rise of a powerful backlash against her vision of feminism, with reproductive rights, motherhood, childbearing and gender roles once again at the center of the country's culture wars.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Not least because the hips—or rather, a wide pelvis—are considered a symbol of femininity, fertility, and childbearing capacity, both from a cultural-historical and an evolutionary-biology perspective.
    — Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026
Definition of childbearing
Noun
  • Wrexham’s more direct approach, particularly when defenders Cleworth and Callum Doyle were picking out wing-backs Danny Imray and Ryan Longman with raking 50-yard deliveries, would have paid dividends with more composed finishing.
    — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Callie Barr talks about how there are three different OBGYN birth delivery clinics that have had to close there.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of delivery
Noun
  • Tan pointed to elevated rental, labor and energy costs as pressures on restaurant profitability.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Robots could let farmers manage the process while reducing the manual labor required.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • If 2024 was the growing-pains season, when Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese entered as rookies and were still paid around $75,000, 2025 was defined by impending CBA negotiations.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 4 Sep. 2026
  • West Nile symptoms A full 80% of those infected may not show symptoms, but 20% have flu-like symptoms, such as a fever with headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, rash or fatigue.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of pains
Noun
  • This pattern spans over a decade, indicating a remarkable fidelity to the Ashburton River and its surrounding creeks as critical parturition sites.
    — Melissa Cristina Marquez, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
  • His mother paced the spacious birthing stall, working off the pains of parturition, with half the placenta, neatly tied up by an attending stable hand, still hanging out of her.
    — William Finnegan, The New Yorker, 15 May 2021
Definition of parturition
Noun
  • That’s where cognition becomes impaired, muscle contraction becomes impaired, and metabolism actually slows.
    — Patrick Iversen, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Such optimism had for years been hard to find in a Hollywood ravaged by the pandemic, wildfires, labor strife, contraction and technological upheaval.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of contraction

Browse Nearby Words

childbeds
childbirth
childbirths
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Cite this Entry

“Childbirth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childbirth. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on childbirth

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about childbirth

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