birth

noun, often attributive
\ ˈbərth How to pronounce birth (audio) \

Definition of birth

 (Entry 1 of 3)

1a : the emergence of a new individual from the body of its parent
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
b : high or noble birth
4a archaic : one that is born

birth

verb
birthed; birthing; births

Definition of birth (Entry 2 of 3)

transitive verb

1 chiefly dialectal : to bring forth
2a : to give rise to : originate
b : to give birth to

intransitive verb

: to bring forth or be brought forth as a child or young

birth

adjective

Definition of birth (Entry 3 of 3)

: biological sense 3 his birth mother

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Synonyms & Antonyms for birth

Synonyms: Noun

geniture, nativity

Synonyms: Verb

bear, deliver, drop, have, mother, produce

Synonyms: Adjective

biological (also biologic), consanguineous, natural

Antonyms: Adjective

adopted, adoptive, nonbiological

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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
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The only difference was that, during Marcus’s birth, the amplified heartbeat was with us through the entire labor, a goad, and solace. Jon Michaud, The New Yorker, "Julius: The Story of a Premature Birth," 15 Aug. 2019 The objects could have been part of ritualistic jewelry used in ceremonies for things fertility, seduction, or to look for omens about a birth or pregnancy. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "A Sorceress’s Kit Was Discovered in the Ashes of Pompeii," 14 Aug. 2019 Utah An average conventional birth is about $10,000, according to The Economist. Sonja Haller, USA TODAY, "Don't have a baby in these states if you want a big hospital bill, a lower quality of life," 13 Aug. 2019 Nora had been vulnerable since birth, never went out alone and had limited verbal communication skills, her family said last week. Reuters, The Mercury News, "Missing British schoolgirl found dead in jungle," 13 Aug. 2019 Scientists believe that the growth of the microbiome, beginning even before birth, is closely connected to immune system development. Erin Allday, SFChronicle.com, "Gut check: Benioffs donate $35 million to further study of microbiome at UCSF, Stanford," 13 Aug. 2019 More than 60% of premature births happen in Africa and South Asia. Annabelle Timsit, Quartz Africa, "Kenya hopes its first human milk bank will save infants’ lives," 13 Aug. 2019 The point of the amused contention is not that O’Rourke was given such a nickname at or near birth. Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, "How Robert O’Rourke Became ‘Beto’," 12 Aug. 2019 Many of the federation’s athletes had been living with their disabilities for decades or since birth. San Diego Union-Tribune, "Athletes with disabilities ‘inspire’ at Chula Vista race," 11 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Researchers found that females in a pride synchronize their cycles in order to birth their cubs at the same time. Emily Toomey, Smithsonian, "Ten Things We’ve Learned About Lions Since Disney’s Original ‘The Lion King’," 19 July 2019 And fatter females need energy to successfully birth and nurse healthy babies. National Geographic, "The surprising reason polar bears need sea ice to survive," 1 Apr. 2019 And despite the government’s stance on regulation and tight currency control, blockchain is birthing a new wave of startups in Nigeria. Yomi Kazeem, Quartz Africa, "What does Facebook’s Libra currency mean for Africa?," 20 June 2019 The woman who birthed the Manukyans’ son in New York and her partner wanted to keep custody, the Glendale couple said. Giulia Mcdonnell Nieto Del Rio, latimes.com, "Couple says their embryo was implanted into wrong woman. They had to fight to get their son," 11 July 2019 Hartford’s financial and economic instability over the years have birthed arguably the most dysfunctional commercial property-tax structure this state has seen in the last half-century. Greg Bordonaro, courant.com, "Hartford’s stifling property taxes make it difficult for businesses to prosper — and remain in the city," 7 July 2019 The unidentified woman wanted to address the crowd inside the Greenwich Village gay bar where patrons fought back against police harassment 50 years ago, birthing the LGBTQ movement. Reuters, The Mercury News, "Tensions between trans women and gay men boil over at Stonewall anniversary," 30 June 2019 And the building that birthed a dynasty may have seen its final night. Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "The end of Oracle? Raptors stun Warriors in perhaps final game in Oakland," 7 June 2019 Of course, from this birthed several theories about her next chapter. Christopher Rosa, Glamour, "Taylor Swift Just Dropped Her New Song and Music Video—and They’re So Surprising," 26 Apr. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Starbucks, for instance, last year sweetened the deal for its store employees, offering six weeks paid leave for all parents, not just birth mothers. Michelle Cheng, Quartz at Work, "Target is expanding parental leave, including for hourly and part-time workers," 10 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'birth.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of birth

Noun

13th 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

History and Etymology for birth

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse byrth; akin to Old English beran

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More Definitions for birth

birth

noun

English Language Learners Definition of birth