birth 1 of 3

noun

ˈbərth How to pronounce birth (audio)
Definition of birthnext
1
as in nativity
the act or instance of being born almost from birth, he showed all the marks of future greatness

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2
as in ancestry
the line of ancestors from whom a person is descended a man of noble birth

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3
as in beginning
the point at which something begins that 12-second flight by Orville Wright marked the birth of aviation

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birth

2 of 3

adjective

as in biological
being such by blood and not by adoption or marriage argued that the birth mother had not been informed of all of her options at the time of the adoption

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birth

3 of 3

verb

chiefly dialect
as in to produce
to bring forth from the womb back in those days a woman her age would have birthed several children

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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 birth
Noun
The infant who died in this case, tested positive for measles and acquired measles in utero before birth from the mother. — Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 Murphy was a diminutive, formal woman of Irish birth who never finished grade school but had a great appetite for learning. — Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026
Adjective
The idea is that vaginal estrogen could help ease common post-birth concerns like swelling and soreness. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 15 Dec. 2025 The pregnancy announcement, the gender reveal, the baby shower, the pregnancy photo shoot, the birth photo shoot, the post-birth photo shoot, the sip-n-see. — Shani Silver, refinery29.com, 31 May 2024
Verb
Then there are the fragmented attention spans birthed by our dearly beloved screens, which cultivate a kind of cognitive whiplash that vacillates between amnesia and yearning for more. — Christopher Coffman, The Conversation, 24 Aug. 2026 The return across the Atlantic also follows Netflix downgrading its overall deal with the pair that birthed Harry & Meghan, Polo and With Love, Meghan, among other projects, to a first-look deal. — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for birth
Recent Examples of Synonyms for birth
  1. nativity
  2. ancestry
  3. beginning
  4. biological
  5. produce
  6. parenting
  7. lineage
  8. inception
Noun
  • In the end the storybook house got its Christmas debut, with neighboring church bells, sheep, and a nativity scene for revelers.
    — Laura Regensdorf, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Cicero, originally from Scicli, suggests bookmarking the Church of San Bartolomeo’s Neapolitan nativity, or the curious Cristo con la gonnella.
    — Jenn Rice, Vogue, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of nativity
Noun
  • According to Census data taken between 2019 and 2023, the number of residents of Italian ancestry in Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, and the Columbia Waterfront District was down 25 percent over the previous 13 years.
    — Rachel Corbett, Curbed, 31 Aug. 2026
  • But Shanes questioned whether grouping Jews under a single ethnic category would produce sufficiently specific data for those purposes, or instead obscure differences among Jewish populations with distinct ancestries.
    — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of ancestry
Noun
  • That kind of visceral reaction has been baked into Paranormal Activity from the beginning.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The beginning of the advertisement focuses on Miestowski reaching for the driver in a golf bag.
    — Mark Harris OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of beginning
Adjective
  • According to Muir, the initial biological opinion on which permitting was based was provided by the NMFS in 2020.
    — Sarah Perkel, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Basically, the insect's biological blueprint that exists to this day.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of biological
Verb
  • Finite’s founder, Amy Gardner, has producing credits on the likes of And Then Come the Nightjars, La Bohème, Honeytrap, and My House, and worked on the stage productions of Nuclear Children and The Joy of Text.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Giske added that previous trips to Haugesund had produced partnerships the company had not originally anticipated.
    — Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of produce
Noun
  • Couples may continue managing day-to-day responsibilities, such as household tasks and parenting, even as one partner becomes emotionally and physically disengaged, relationship experts say.
    — Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Prosecutors believe he was killed because of ongoing strife with his former wife, Shanna Gardner, over the parenting of their twins.
    — Ed White, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of parenting
Noun
  • But all this manifold spectacle is triggered by a quest for a boy, possibly of royal lineage, who has gone missing.
    — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Basically, this small insect appeared to preserve a transitional stage as its lineage gradually adapted from aquatic life to living on land.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of lineage
Noun
  • After each meeting, a colleague would ask if there had been any progress citing the days, months and finally years since the committee’s inception.
    — Barry M. Bloom, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The Milford Public Library serves both village and township residents and maintains special collections on autism, genealogy and the Civil War, as well as microfilmed editions of the Milford Times dating to the newspaper’s inception.
    — Brendel Clark, Freep.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of inception

Phrases Containing birth

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birse
birth
birthday suit
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Cite this Entry

“Birth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/birth. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on birth

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about birth

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