birth pang

noun

1
: one of the regularly recurrent pains that are characteristic of childbirth
usually used in plural
2
birth pangs plural : disorder and distress incident especially to a major social change

Examples of birth pang in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
And the Affordable Care Act, for all of its birth pangs and flaws and the Republican efforts to repeal it, remains the law of the land. Peter Baker, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 But for Chollet, as for Obama, this apparent defect is actually a strength, and the current world disorder is less the result of flawed U.S. strategies than the birth pangs of a new and better order. Derek Chollet, Foreign Affairs, 10 Aug. 2016 His knack for conveying compositional struggle ingeniously reflects his theme — a nation’s birth pangs. Sebastian Smee, Washington Post, 24 Jan. 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1660, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of birth pang was in 1660

Dictionary Entries Near birth pang

Cite this Entry

“Birth pang.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birth%20pang. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

birth pang

noun
: one of the regularly recurrent pains that are characteristic of childbirth
usually used in plural

More from Merriam-Webster on birth pang

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!