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Synonyms

miscarriage

American  
[mis-kar-ij, mis-kar-ij] / mɪsˈkær ɪdʒ, ˈmɪsˌkær ɪdʒ /

noun

  1. the expulsion of a fetus before it is viable, especially between the third and seventh months of pregnancy; spontaneous abortion.

  2. failure to attain the just, right, or desired result.

    a miscarriage of justice.

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

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

miscarriage British  
/ mɪsˈkærɪdʒ /

noun

  1. 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

  3. 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
miscarriage Scientific  
/ mĭs′kăr′ĭj /

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

  2. Also called spontaneous abortion

miscarriage Cultural  

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

Discover More

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

Etymology

Origin of miscarriage

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

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.

Essiedu says there can be a tendency to view miscarriage only as a physical issue.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

She walked dozens of kilometres to Tawila, suffering a miscarriage on the way.

From Barron's • Mar. 22, 2026

“It has been a challenge going from the scandal to relationship to miscarriage to arrest to being pregnant again,” she says as a sentimental melody lilts in the background.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

“Henry Ford Hospital” from 1932 offers an unsparing look at the artist following a miscarriage, in which blood vessels fan out like ribbons and objects like snails hint at the slowness of her recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

“They separated them. It’s a miscarriage of justice. And of love.”

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

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.