give birth to
Idioms-
Bear a child, as in She gave birth to her first child exactly at midnight . [Early 1800s]
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Also, give rise to . Be the cause or origin of. For example, His hobby gave birth to a very successful business , or The economic situation gave rise to widespread dissatisfaction . The first term dates from the early 1700s, the second from the late 1700s.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Switzerland's Bencic returned to the top 10 in January for the first time since stepping away from the court in September 2023 to give birth to daughter Bella.
From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026
A gorilla's pregnancy lasts for about eight-and-a-half months, and females usually give birth to one infant every four years.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
To maintain a stable population, women need to give birth to 2.1 children on average during their lifetimes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025
“I really think she can be one of those stars that can give birth to so many films in Iraq.”
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025
I wash my hands and say to her, “Why did you give birth to me in November? It’s such a gloomy time of year.”
From "Lucky Broken Girl" by Ruth Behar
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
