Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for birth control. Search instead for export controls.
Synonyms

birth control

American  
[burth kuhn-trohl] / ˈbɜrθ kənˌtroʊl /

noun

  1. regulation of the number of children born through the deliberate control or prevention of conception.

    She campaigned and went to prison for the right of women to practice birth control.

  2. a drug, technique, or device used to deliberately control or prevent conception (often used attributively).

    Diaphragms were a common form of birth control long before the invention of contraceptive pills.

    Vasectomies are growing in frequency as a birth control method in many countries.
birth control British  

noun

  1. limitation of child-bearing by means of contraception See also family planning

"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
birth control Scientific  

  1. Planned interference with conception in order to control the number of offspring born. Birth control techniques include drugs containing hormones, the diaphragm, and the intrauterine device.

birth control Cultural  

  1. The practice of preventing conception to limit the number of births. (See contraception, family planning, population control, and Margaret Sanger.)

Other Word Forms

  • probirth-control adjective

Etymology

Origin of birth control

First recorded in 1905–10; popularized in 1914 by Margaret Sanger ( def. )

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.

Reliable birth control allowed women to plan careers with a predictability long afforded to men.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Father-of-five Jason Day jokingly described the occasion as "a circus", with Clark adding: "As a man with no kids I'll say it's great birth control but it's a lot of fun."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

For example, during a 40-minute panel hosted by Alexis Joel, the wife of musician Billy Joel, several doctors raised concerns about how frequently hormonal birth control is used to treat women’s health symptoms.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2026

Planned Parenthood offers a range of services, including abortions, birth control and cancer screenings.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

It was the tail end of the baby boom in a heavily Catholic community, back when Catholics still listened to Rome on matters of birth control.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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.