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 Baby Carrie has not been born yet at the start of the series, in part so the show could explore pioneer pregnancy and childbirth. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026 This led to vast transformations in surgery, childbirth, handwashing, sterilization and infection control, per NIH and the Science History Institute. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026 The jet-setting pair have two biological daughters, 4-year-old Bella (whose twin brother died at childbirth) and 8-year-old Alana. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026 But new evidence has started to challenge the notion that human childbirth is uniquely dangerous. — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 29 June 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
  • For Jill Little, the director of YPP, the program has been a steadying force in walking alongside the girls through the uncertainty of pregnancy, childbirth and raising a child.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026
  • Just a decade ago, pregnancy would frequently signal the end of a female athlete’s professional career.
    — PJ Green July 24, Kansas City Star, 24 July 2026
Definition of pregnancy
Noun
  • In fact, for millennia the role of mothers has included not only childbearing and education but also protection over the community as a whole, especially through advocacy for peace.
    — Marie-Claire Beaulieu, The Conversation, 5 May 2026
  • Poor women’s childbearing, particularly among Black and immigrant populations, was increasingly portrayed as a driver of intergenerational poverty and social disorder.
    — Sonya Borrero, STAT, 1 May 2026
Definition of childbearing
Noun
  • Company executives have stated that engine deliveries are rising in line with Boeing’s production goals, ensuring sufficient supply as airlines continue expanding their long-haul fleets.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026
  • The mix is too crisp and modern, the songs too short, Åkerfeldt’s delivery methods too to-the-point.
    — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026
Definition of delivery
Noun
  • In biology, for example, AI has compressed years of scientific labor into tools that can be shared across the world.
    — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
  • The city appears prepared to take a hard line on the labor issue, which Dunphy says includes everything from construction workers to concession stand employees.
    — Jason Quick, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of labor
Noun
  • Blanche said department lawyers took pains to protect the women involved, and quickly fixed any errors that were found.
    — Alanna Durkin Richer, Fortune, 16 July 2026
  • Those include aches and pains, fever, cough, shortness of breath.
    — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 15 July 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
  • However, Ars Technica has suggested that contractions in the Russian economy led to very recent changes in the country's laws for space advertising that could lead to more examples like this.
    — Elizabeth Howell, Space.com, 17 July 2026
  • But the contraction also follows one of the most extraordinary expansionary periods in the industry’s history.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 July 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 26 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on childbirth

Nglish: Translation of childbirth for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about childbirth

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