birthright

American  

[burth-rahyt] / ˈbɜrθˌraɪt /

noun

• birthrights
  plural

1. any right or privilege to which a person is entitled by birth.

   Democracy maintains that freedom is a birthright.

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birthright British  

/ ˈbɜːθˌraɪt /

noun

1. privileges or possessions that a person has or is believed to be entitled to as soon as he is born

2. the privileges or possessions of a first-born son

3. inheritance; patrimony

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• birthrights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of birthright

First recorded in 1525–35; birth + right

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birthright birthrights

The US and Canada are the only two countries considered "developed" nations by the International Monetary Fund that grant mostly unrestricted birthright citizenship.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

St John’s, the wealthy college Cambridge students love to hate and last year’s victors, had come to regard headships as its birthright.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

In a statement as chilling as it is insulting, Davis suggests that the protesters triggered a “Mother Hen” instinct that led the justice to rule against the administration on the birthright citizenship case.

From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026

Balogun, a birthright U.S. citizen whose Nigerian parents live in England, scored his third goal in four World Cup games during a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1 in Santa Clara.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

At least Oak would not grow up as I have, with death as my birthright.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

"We were all aware that we weren't being knighted or accepting a peerage. We all knew that the right we stood to gain was fairly inconsequential as inherited birthrights go."

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026

If birthrights actually existed, women might well feel that a lot of power is due to them.

From Salon ● Sep. 1, 2024

Johnson and Clinton had no political birthrights but set out from young ages to reach the nation’s highest office.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2023

The dividing line traced by roadblocks also is tugging on sensitivities about birthrights and inequities, as Native American visitors worry about the social stigma of being locked out because of the contagion.

From Washington Times ● May 8, 2020

Some one must go among these good people and warn them not to sell their lands, not to be cheated out of their birthrights.

From The Blood of the Conquerors by Fergusson, Harvey