birth certificate

American  

noun

• birth certificates
  plural

1. an official form recording the birth of a baby and containing pertinent data, as name, sex, date, place, and parents.

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birth certificate British  

noun

1. an official form giving details of the time and place of a person's birth, and his or her name, sex, mother's name and (usually) father's name

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birth certificates
  plural

Etymology

Origin of birth certificate

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birth certificate

"However, when the baby was born and we went to get the birth certificate, the name Dunyo was no longer there" after the update, she said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026

"Obviously, to get a passport you need your birth certificate," he explained.

From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026

I’m moving to Canada or Iceland or the south of France; I need to find my grandmother’s birth certificate and apply for dual citizenship.

From Salon ● May 31, 2026

Nor were the copies of his Puerto Rico ID and his birth certificate.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 30, 2026

Today, coming home on the school bus, Chip had gotten obsessed with the idea that he had to see his birth certificate, that it would tell him everything he needed to know.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix