childbirth

noun

child·​birth ˈchī(-ə)l(d)-ˌbərth 

: the act or process of giving birth to a baby : parturition

Synonyms

• accouchement
• childbearing
• delivery
• labor
• parturition
• travail

Examples of childbirth in a Sentence

women who choose to undergo childbirth without the use of anesthetics and other drugs

Recent Examples on the Web

That includes a University of Houston study of maternal mortality that examines why Black, Indigenous and other people of color in the U.S. are nearly three times as likely as white women to die during pregnancy or within the first year after childbirth. —Agnel Philip, ProPublica, 28 Feb. 2025

The results were consistent among all participants, regardless of body weight or childbirth history. —Lindsay Curtis, Verywell Health, 15 Jan. 2025

Another new policy grants parents who take leave after childbirth an allowance equal to 10 percent of their salary, easing their anxieties about taking time off. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 28 Feb. 2025

Brenda Song was in for a surprise during childbirth! —Raven Brunner, People.com, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing childbirth

• die in childbirth
• natural childbirth

Rhymes for childbirth

• rebirth
• stillbirth
• tamworth
• unearth
• afterbirth
• berth
• birth
• dearth
• earth
• firth
• girth
• mirth

Kids Definition

childbirth

noun

child·​birth ˈchīl(d)-ˌbərth 

: the act or process of giving birth to children

called also parturition

Medical Definition

childbirth

noun

child·​birth ˈchīl(d)-ˌbərth 

: the act or process of giving birth to a baby : parturition