preterm
adjective
pre·term
| \ (ˌ)prē-ˈtərm
, ˈprē-ˌtərm\
, ˈprē-ˌtərm\
Definition of preterm
: of, relating to, being, or brought forth by premature birth
a preterm infant preterm labor
Examples of preterm in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The virus, transmitted primarily by mosquitoes, is dangerous for pregnant women because infection can increase preterm birth and miscarriage. — Laura Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "San Antonio research facility gets $2 million grant to test Zika vaccine," 4 June 2019 The environmental risk factor with the strongest evidence may be preterm birth and low birth weight. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "Why Are So Many More Children Being Diagnosed With ADHD Today?," 24 Sep. 2018 But in analyzing the blood of some of the women who delivered prematurely, the team identified seven other genes with RNA signals that seemed to characterize preterm birth. — Pam Belluck, The Seattle Times, "Blood test could predict pregnancy due date, potential for preterm birth," 9 June 2018 But in analyzing the blood of some of the women who delivered prematurely, the team identified seven other genes, mostly from the women, with RNA signals that seemed to characterize preterm birth. — Pam Belluck, New York Times, "Blood Test Might Predict Pregnancy Due Date and Preterm Birth," 7 June 2018 The preterm birth rate rose for the second straight year in 2016 and the rate is about 50 percent higher among black women (14 percent) than among white women (9 percent). — Fiza Pirani, ajc, "Infants born just one month premature more likely to develop ADHD, study finds," 26 June 2018 The other blood test in development, described in a small pilot study in the journal Science, aimed to predict not only preterm delivery but the gestational age of a pregnancy. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, "Blood tests to predict preterm birth risk raise excitement -- and questions," 7 June 2018 Critically or extremely preterm babies, those born before 28 weeks of gestation, have survival rates that are highly dependent on income levels. — Everyday Einstein Sabrina Stierwalt, Scientific American, "Could Artificial Wombs Be a Reality?," 24 Jan. 2018 Louisiana's preterm birth rate was 12.6 percent, a slight increase from last year's rate of 12.3 percent. — Marie Simoneaux, NOLA.com, "Louisiana has the 2nd-highest rate of premature births in the country," 1 Nov. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'preterm.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for preterm
preterm
adjective
pre·term
| \ -ˈtərm
\
\
Medical Definition of preterm
: of, relating to, being, or born by premature birth
preterm infants a preterm delivery preterm labor