Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

birth

[burth]

noun

  1. an act or instance of being born.

    the day of his birth.

  2. the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring; childbirth; parturition.

    a difficult birth.

  3. lineage; extraction; descent.

    of Grecian birth.

    Synonyms: , , , ,
  4. high or noble lineage.

    to be foolishly vain about one's birth.

  5. natural heritage.

    a musician by birth.

  6. any coming into existence; origin; beginning.

    the birth of Protestantism; the birth of an idea.

    Synonyms: , , , ,
  7. Archaic.something that is born.



verb (used with object)

Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S.
  1. to give birth to.

  2. to assist in giving birth; act as midwife for.

birth

/ ɜːθ /

noun

  1. the process of bearing young; parturition; childbirth

  2. the act or fact of being born; nativity

  3. the coming into existence of something; origin

  4. ancestry; lineage

    of high birth

  5. noble ancestry

    a man of birth

  6. natural or inherited talent

    an artist by birth

  7. archaicthe offspring or young born at a particular time or of a particular mother

    1. to bear (offspring)

    2. to produce, originate, or create (an idea, plan, etc)

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to bear or bring forth (a child)

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

birth

  1. The emergence and separation of offspring from the body of its mother, seen in all mammals except monotremes.

  1. Present at birth, as a defect in a bodily structure.

Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • multibirth noun
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth1

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English byrthe, from Scandinavian; compare Old Swedish byrth; cognate with Old English gebyrd, Old High German giburt, Gothic gabaurths; bear 1 ( def. ), -th 1 ( def. )
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of birth1

C12: from Old Norse byrth ; related to Gothic gabaurths , Old Swedish byrdh , Old High German berd child; see bear 1 , bairn
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. give birth to,

    1. to bear (a child).

    2. to initiate; originate.

      Her hobby gave birth to a successful business.

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

A zoo is celebrating the birth of rare and endangered pygmy slow loris twins.

From

According to Amnesty International, South Africa has one of the most unequal school systems in the world - with a child's outcome very much dependent on their place of birth, wealth and colour of their skin.

From

Sequeira reports for The Times’ early childhood education initiative, focusing on the learning and development of California children from birth to age 5.

From

BBC News spoke to dads across Europe about how much time they can take off work after the birth of their children - and how that has changed fatherhood for them.

From

Even though she is a citizen by birth, she says that she’s taken to carrying a copy of her birth certificate with her everywhere she goes as a precaution.

From

Advertisement

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


birsebirth canal