plural births
1
a
: the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent see also date of birth
b
: the act or process of bringing forth young from the womb
2
: a state resulting from being born especially at a particular time or place
a Southerner by birth
3
a
b
: high or noble birth
birthed; birthing; births
1
chiefly dialectal
: to bring forth
2
a
: to give rise to : originate
b
: to give birth to
: to bring forth or be brought forth as a child or young
: biological sense 3
his birth mother
Synonyms
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Examples of birth in a Sentence
Noun
He was present at the birth of his daughter.
The hospital reported an increase in premature births.
Please indicate your date of birth.
the period from birth to adolescence
a disease that is present at birth
the birth of the solar system
the birth of the blues
We are witnessing the birth of a new era.
Verb
back in those days a woman her age would have birthed several children
Adjective
argued that the birth mother had not been informed of all of her options at the time of the adoption
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 15 Apr. 2024
Plus, moms who give birth vaginally might want to use a belly band to get extra support the first few days after giving birth.
—Deanna Pai, Allure, 13 Apr. 2024
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Phillips' birth.
—Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
And the idea of people giving birth to themselves, as happened at the end of Men, is equally far-fetched.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Many are running up against the deadline in light of personal challenges, maybe the birth of a baby, an illness, or a death in the family.
—Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
Ethan was abandoned by his mother at birth and placed in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, his home for the next six years.
—Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The bill proposed to limit high school athletes to playing on teams that match the gender they were assigned at birth.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
Abortions don’t really happen at birth, according to the non-partisan, non-profit health policy organization KFF.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Soo Youn, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
The woman inside birthed her baby into her husband’s hands.
—Lori Vogt Rosone, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
That desire to lessen the pain of others is also what birthed Wondermind.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
That decision birthed Purple Lit Oysters, a food truck traversing throughout Miami-Dade that offers chargrilled oysters reminiscent of New Orleans.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
Much like any enduring creation, the inception of hip-hop has birthed an entire subset of trends, behaviors, and fixations.
—Tayler Adigun, Essence, 16 Feb. 2024
Robinson has written powerfully in defense of Calvin and of the lively Puritanism that his movement birthed, not least in America.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Not always the case, actually, but the Brits is one award show that has, over the years, birthed many legendary pop cultural moments.
—Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2024
Each recent tour by a major pop star has seemingly birthed an aesthetic microclimate that follows the artist from show to show, usually evaporating when the tour is over.
—Callie Holtermann Molly Matalon, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Anika Nayak, STAT, 12 Jan. 2024
The Commission on the Status of Women in a resolution read Wednesday made clear its focus on protecting access to abortions, protecting health care providers and expanding access to what the panel called a full spectrum of pregnancy care—which includes abortions as well as post-birth care.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2022
Those were all Michelle MacDonald had to offer Minnesota other than a pro-gun, pro-birth agenda that in itself betrayed the commitment to objectivity and respect for the law that we are entitled to in all of our judges.
—Star Tribune, 4 Nov. 2020
When the twins — son Eames and daughter Ellison — arrived eight weeks early on Jan. 11, 2021, a judge had not yet considered the pre-birth order, which later was denied.
—Rachel Burchfield, Peoplemag, 20 Jan. 2023
The three months now offered to non-birth parents is a departure from the scant three weeks given under the previous policy.
—Arkansas Online, 17 Jan. 2023
Non-birth parents, adoptive parents and long-term foster parents were included before.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2023
This was certainly a fear of mine, and post-birth, gravity has done its thing.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 31 Aug. 2022
The post-birth appearance outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital has become something of a royal tradition — started by Diana.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022
Noun
Postpartum Hemorrhage Bleeding after giving birth is usually normal, especially in the first few days.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 15 Apr. 2024
Plus, moms who give birth vaginally might want to use a belly band to get extra support the first few days after giving birth.
—Deanna Pai, Allure, 13 Apr. 2024
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Phillips' birth.
—Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
And the idea of people giving birth to themselves, as happened at the end of Men, is equally far-fetched.
—David Gilbert, WIRED, 12 Apr. 2024
Many are running up against the deadline in light of personal challenges, maybe the birth of a baby, an illness, or a death in the family.
—Detroit Free Press, 12 Apr. 2024
Ethan was abandoned by his mother at birth and placed in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, his home for the next six years.
—Marc D. Hauser, TIME, 3 Apr. 2024
The bill proposed to limit high school athletes to playing on teams that match the gender they were assigned at birth.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2024
Abortions don’t really happen at birth, according to the non-partisan, non-profit health policy organization KFF.
—Alexandra Glorioso, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
That night out birthed the idea for the flash mob dance group Ajumma EXP, which Kim founded with her friend Sonia Chin and with the help of choreographer Melissa Adao.
—Soo Youn, NBC News, 16 Mar. 2024
The woman inside birthed her baby into her husband’s hands.
—Lori Vogt Rosone, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2024
That desire to lessen the pain of others is also what birthed Wondermind.
—Erin Jensen, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2024
That decision birthed Purple Lit Oysters, a food truck traversing throughout Miami-Dade that offers chargrilled oysters reminiscent of New Orleans.
—C. Isaiah Smalls Ii, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
Much like any enduring creation, the inception of hip-hop has birthed an entire subset of trends, behaviors, and fixations.
—Tayler Adigun, Essence, 16 Feb. 2024
Robinson has written powerfully in defense of Calvin and of the lively Puritanism that his movement birthed, not least in America.
—James Wood, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
Not always the case, actually, but the Brits is one award show that has, over the years, birthed many legendary pop cultural moments.
—Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2024
Each recent tour by a major pop star has seemingly birthed an aesthetic microclimate that follows the artist from show to show, usually evaporating when the tour is over.
—Callie Holtermann Molly Matalon, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The difference that doulas can make A doula — also known as a birth companion or post-birth supporter — provides physical, information, and emotional support to pregnant and postpartum people.
—Anika Nayak, STAT, 12 Jan. 2024
The Commission on the Status of Women in a resolution read Wednesday made clear its focus on protecting access to abortions, protecting health care providers and expanding access to what the panel called a full spectrum of pregnancy care—which includes abortions as well as post-birth care.
—Susan Montoya Bryan, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2022
Those were all Michelle MacDonald had to offer Minnesota other than a pro-gun, pro-birth agenda that in itself betrayed the commitment to objectivity and respect for the law that we are entitled to in all of our judges.
—Star Tribune, 4 Nov. 2020
When the twins — son Eames and daughter Ellison — arrived eight weeks early on Jan. 11, 2021, a judge had not yet considered the pre-birth order, which later was denied.
—Rachel Burchfield, Peoplemag, 20 Jan. 2023
The three months now offered to non-birth parents is a departure from the scant three weeks given under the previous policy.
—Arkansas Online, 17 Jan. 2023
Non-birth parents, adoptive parents and long-term foster parents were included before.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2023
This was certainly a fear of mine, and post-birth, gravity has done its thing.
—Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 31 Aug. 2022
The post-birth appearance outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital has become something of a royal tradition — started by Diana.
—Stephanie Petit, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'birth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Old Norse byrth; akin to Old English beran
First Known Use
Noun
12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1831, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Adjective
1958, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of birth was
in the 12th century
Phrases Containing birth
Articles Related to birth
Dictionary Entries Near birth
Cite this Entry
“Birth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
birth
nounˈbərth
1
a
: the coming out of a new individual from the body of its parent
b
: the act or process of bringing forth young from the uterus
2
: descent sense 1, lineage
noble birth
3
Medical Definition
birth
1 of 3 noun1
: the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent
2
: the act or process of bringing forth young from the womb
birth
2 of 3 transitive verb
: to give birth to
allowed to birth her child in her own way—Nancy Robinson
Nancy Robinson
: to bring forth or be brought forth as a child or young
contend that birthing is a natural process, rather than a medical procedure—Kit Miniclier
Kit Miniclierthe baby birthed breech—Jayne Anne Phillips
Jayne Anne Phillipsbirth
3 of 3 adjective
: biological sense 3
spent years searching for his birth parents
More from Merriam-Webster on birth
Nglish: Translation of birth for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of birth for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about birth
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share