birthplace

American  

[burth-pleys] / ˈbɜrθˌpleɪs /

noun

1. place of birth or origin.

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birthplace British  

/ ˈbɜːθˌpleɪs /

noun

1. the place where someone was born or where something originated

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Etymology

Origin of birthplace

First recorded in 1600–10; birth + place

Explanation

The city or country where someone is born is their birthplace. If you move to Atlanta, Georgia, you can tell your friends you live in the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. You'll often find the word birthplace describing the origin of a famous person, whether you're visiting the birthplace of Elvis Presley in Mississippi or reading about Tuskegee, Alabama, the birthplace of Rosa Parks. Birthplace also shows up on official documents like passport applications, which require you to prove your birthplace by submitting a birth certificate. The Middle English version of this word was birthstede, from stede, or "place."

Example Sentences

Will Carl’s Jr. rebound to its former glory in its birthplace as a flagbearer for Californian burger culture or recede into irrelevance?

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2026

Isaac Fitzgerald grew up near the birthplace of Johnny Appleseed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 27, 2026

"There is strong evidence that dust traps were the preferred birthplace of planetesimals in our Solar System," said Joanna Drążkowska.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

Sculptor Nick Elphick said he was left "in shock" while Jones' daughter, Sally, "seemed very upset" by the damage to the bronze statue at his birthplace in Colwyn Bay, Conwy county.

From BBC • May 20, 2026

So he went to Fredericksburg, Virginia, near his birthplace, to find his Dutch-born friend Jacob van Braam.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen