miscarriage

[ mis-kar-ij; for 1 also mis-kar-ij ]
See synonyms for miscarriage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the expulsion of a fetus before it is viable, especially between the third and seventh months of pregnancy; spontaneous abortion.: Compare abortion (def. 1).

  2. failure to attain the just, right, or desired result: a miscarriage of justice.

  1. failure of something sent, as a letter, to reach its destination.

  2. Chiefly British. transportation of goods not in accordance with the contract of shipment.

Origin of miscarriage

1
First recorded in 1605–15; mis-1 + carriage

Words Nearby miscarriage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use miscarriage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for miscarriage

miscarriage

/ (mɪsˈkærɪdʒ) /


noun
  1. (also ˈmɪskær-) spontaneous expulsion of a fetus from the womb, esp prior to the 20th week of pregnancy

  2. an act of mismanagement or failure: a miscarriage of justice

  1. British the failure of freight to reach its destination

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for miscarriage

miscarriage

[ mĭskăr′ĭj ]


  1. The premature, spontaneous expulsion of the products of pregnancy from the uterus, usually in the first trimester. Also called spontaneous abortion

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for miscarriage

miscarriage

[ (mis-kar-ij, mis-kar-ij) ]


A spontaneous and premature expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus before it is capable of surviving on its own.

Notes for miscarriage

Generally, a miscarriage is a failure to achieve a desired end, as in a miscarriage of justice.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.