newborn

American  

[noo-bawrn, nyoo-] / ˈnuˈbɔrn, ˈnju- /

adjective

1. recently or only just born.

2. born anew; reborn.

   a newborn faith in human goodness.

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noun

newborn, plural newborns plural

1. a newborn infant; neonate.

newborn British  

/ ˈnjuːˌbɔːn /

adjective

1. 1. recently or just born

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the newborn

2. (of hope, faith, etc) reborn

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• newborn
  plural
• newborns
  plural

Etymology

Origin of newborn

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at new, born

Explanation

A newborn is literally a baby animal (including us human animals) who was born in the past month. Figuratively, newborn describes anything recently born or created, like a newborn interest in vocabulary. Little babies are newborns until they're a month old — four weeks is the official human newborn cut-off age. Then they’re just regular ol’ babies. Other things can be newborn as long as they’re brand new — a newborn restaurant was opened recently, a newborn celebrity might be 18 but she just got famous. You could have a newborn fear if you recently became scared of something. Most newborns are not scary, though. (Unless you’re babysitting one.)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

newborn newborns

Betts, meanwhile, said he wants to spend time with his newborn child — as legitimate a reason as any.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

For almost a year, Samantha Palmer’s phone home screen has been a picture of her son Jackson as a newborn.

From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026

Landis, the Peacock Parent founder, said when she fell sick after having her newborn, the nanny brought her tea and orange juice without being asked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Researchers calculated what could happen if every newborn child in high-poverty census tracts received seed money in the accounts but made no extra contributions over 18 years.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

The social worker wondered if Mama and Papa would be willing to care for the newborn baby for a week.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince

Head circumference is commonly used as a general indicator of brain size in newborns.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

For the government’s initial $1,000 contribution for recent newborns, no, there is no deadline to claim the money.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The probe also found 59 sleeping bags with hoods or without armholes and 37 sleep pillows marketed for newborns, despite concerns about suffocation and overheating, as well as NHS safe sleep guidance.

From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026

There were gurgling, cooing, month-and-a-half old newborns in Brooklyn and Westchester who had never known the soul-emptying pain of a crushing Knicks defeat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

Actually, the wail of the newborns is comforting.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman