birthright citizenship

American  

[burth-rahyt sit-uh-zuhn-ship] / ˈbɜrθˌraɪt ˈsɪt ə zənˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the practice of automatically granting citizenship to a child born in a particular country, regardless of the citizenship status of the parent or parents.

   an end to birthright citizenship.

2. the state of having such citizenship.

   to grant birthright citizenship to the child of new immigrants.

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Etymology

Origin of birthright citizenship

First recorded in 1845–50

Example Sentences

He left the oral arguments over birthright citizenship early, as if he were Charlie Brown and Chief Justice John Roberts were Lucy yanking the football away from him at the last second.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2026

The Supreme Court case establishing birthright citizenship involved a Chinese American man named Wong Kim Ark, born to parents who came here legally but couldn’t become citizens because of the era’s anti-Chinese laws.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

The John Brown trial cannot completely resolve today’s birthright citizenship controversy—Brown was a citizen of the U.S., although not of Virginia, at a time when state citizenship was primary—but the implications are undeniable.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026

Justice Neil Gorsuch, whom Trump appointed to the court, questioned how to square arguments against Trump’s order with the current birthright citizenship exception for children of Native American tribes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

But Alito later pressed the challengers’ attorney about the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which established the first federal rule for birthright citizenship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026