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.
Seals rely on pack ice to give birth, to rest and for protection.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
Moore worked at Les Deux Cafés until she was about to give birth to her first child.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
Her son also sued her for emotional damage after she said she would have preferred to "give birth to a little dog".
From BBC • Dec. 28, 2025
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
Her pregnancy had elevated her, so she could sit idly listening to the radiogram, no longer Mama’s help but now the woman who would give birth to Mama’s grandchild.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
